Interesting occurrence at I&E this year

[N.E. Brigand]

4 hours ago, cixelsyd said:

Not "the" election system... rather, a mock version of the election system, missing some of the safeguards of the real thing.

Just a quick aside: according to this article, the mock Florida site was actually set up to be harder to hack than the real thing. Also while apparently the Florida replica cracked fastest, there were replicas of other states' sites as well, successfully hacked by a number of children participating in under a half-hour.

That said, I'm mindful of this caveat:

Edited August 14, 2018 by N.E. Brigand
1,000 words.

[cixelsyd]

5 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Just a quick aside: according to this article, the mock Florida site was actually set up to be harder to hack than the real thing. 

That same article also admitted the exact opposite:

"It would be extremely difficult to replicate these systems since many states utilize unique networks and custom-built databases with new and updated security protocols."

And more importantly, these websites are only places where results are reiterated for the public.  They are not voting machines or official vote counts.

These election hacking stories need to be read carefully.  Gloss over a few words, and you could end up believing Russian 5th-graders pick our entire government for us.

[N.E. Brigand]

1 minute ago, cixelsyd said:

That same article also admitted the exact opposite:

"It would be extremely difficult to replicate these systems since many states utilize unique networks and custom-built databases with new and updated security protocols."

And more importantly, these websites are only places where results are reiterated for the public.  They are not voting machines or official vote counts.

These election hacking stories need to be read carefully.  Gloss over a few words, and you could end up believing Russian 5th-graders pick our entire government for us.

The passage you quote came before this one:

"Matt Blaze, a professor of computer and information science at the University of Pennsylvania who helped organize the 'hacking village,' said that thousands of adults including voting security experts also tried to access voting machines and other voting software currently being used in U.S. elections today to become 'more knowledgeable about voter technology.'

He also noted that the children who participated in their own challenge last week were dealing with replicas that were in many cases created to be even more formidable to access than the actual websites used by secretaries of states across the nation."

So there are mixed messages. But as you've noticed from my other post, we're basically in agreement.

[Bluzes]

Are we passed playing are you smarter than a fifth grader and can get back on topic? Does dci need to hire a fifth grader to watch over Reddit and develop an app for the MMs?

[Cappybara]

4 hours ago, Spartans87 said:

I was very surprised to hear nothing both in June at the Tour Premier and then more so during Big, Loud and Live, related to the spring issues and how DCI and its member corps/BoD's have and are making changes.  Frankly, it was a huge wasted opportunity to say to everyone watching, "We are making changes, and there are more to come".  This could have been done WITHOUT putting anyone in harms way from a legal perspective, and would have gone a long way from a PR standpoint.  It is just ridiculous nothing has been said directly to the viewing public as of now.

I do see the page listed on DCI.org, but that is very dated at this point.  Maybe, if Dan A. had addressed the issues a little more publicly during those two events/broadcasts, the majority of people here and elsewhere (Garfield excluded, as he seems to have some direct information) would not feel like it is the "elephant in the room we are all trying to not look at".  Who knows, maybe the member that made the protest at I&E would not have done so!

Just my opinion.

Completely agree with this 

[MikeD]

3 hours ago, N.E. Brigand said:

 

He also noted that the children who participated in their own challenge last week were dealing with replicas that were in many cases created to be even more formidable to access than the actual websites used by secretaries of states across the nation."

So there are mixed messages. But as you've noticed from my other post, we're basically in agreement.

This was in the USA Today article I read:

"Florida Department of State, which oversees elections, said that the mock site used by DefCon likely had few, if any, security measures in place and thus was not a real-life scenario as it did not take into account the state-of-the-art security measures the department uses to prevent hacking attempts from being successful."

 

Suffice it to say this kid is one smart kid at any level!

[ShortAndFast]

5 hours ago, Spartans87 said:

I was very surprised to hear nothing both in June at the Tour Premier and then more so during Big, Loud and Live, related to the spring issues and how DCI and its member corps/BoD's have and are making changes.  Frankly, it was a huge wasted opportunity to say to everyone watching, "We are making changes, and there are more to come".  This could have been done WITHOUT putting anyone in harms way from a legal perspective, and would have gone a long way from a PR standpoint.  It is just ridiculous nothing has been said directly to the viewing public as of now.

I do see the page listed on DCI.org, but that is very dated at this point.  Maybe, if Dan A. had addressed the issues a little more publicly during those two events/broadcasts, the majority of people here and elsewhere (Garfield excluded, as he seems to have some direct information) would not feel like it is the "elephant in the room we are all trying to not look at".  Who knows, maybe the member that made the protest at I&E would not have done so!

Just my opinion.

I didn't go to BL&L, but at the tour premiere there was a segment while waiting for the scores where Rondo interviewed Kathy Black (new DCI Board Chair) about changes to improve performer safety. I also received emails from DCI about the training session during spring training, and about DCI's investigations of reports of mistreatment in the week before Atlanta.

Maybe these weren't as on the nose as you'd have liked (they didn't mention George Hopkins or Pioneer by name, for example) but it doesn't seem accurate to state that DCI has said nothing publicly.

[N.E. Brigand]

54 minutes ago, ShortAndFast said:

I didn't go to BL&L, but at the tour premiere there was a segment while waiting for the scores where Rondo interviewed Kathy Black (new DCI Board Chair) about changes to improve performer safety. I also received emails from DCI about the training session during spring training, and about DCI's investigations of reports of mistreatment in the week before Atlanta.

Maybe these weren't as on the nose as you'd have liked (they didn't mention George Hopkins or Pioneer by name, for example) but it doesn't seem accurate to state that DCI has said nothing publicly.

Just as regards the tour premier screening, as noted earlier in this thread: viewers who hadn't heard the news about Hopkins and the Cadets would likely interpret the comments about member safety in that interview to have to do strictly with physical concerns (like sanitary housing or proper training for acrobatics) rather than with protection from predators.

[Bluzes]

1 hour ago, Cappybara said:

"We are making changes

That is good to hear. Are they secret, how do they manifest themselves, how is success measured? What is the Standard Operating Procedures for getting help with an uncomfortable situation. How long does a MM wait for a reply?

From HR 101 reporting harassment issues is best done anonymously where the initial counsel only knows their true identity. To think that it's OK to have a face to face on site, track a person down take him/her aside to report this stuff in short sighted, non-compassionate, self-serving and just wrong.

Our wonderful kids live off hot buttons on their devices. To not have a hot button to report is almost criminal. Go ahead and hate me all you want from hate comes love and mine for these kids and their parents will never fade. Not Fade Away there's a tune from Buddy Holly I like to hear someday.

Edited August 15, 2018 by Bluzes
typo

[ShortAndFast]

59 minutes ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Just as regards the tour premier screening, as noted earlier in this thread: viewers who hadn't heard the news about Hopkins and the Cadets would likely interpret the comments about member safety in that interview to have to do strictly with physical concerns (like sanitary housing or proper training for acrobatics) rather than with protection from predators.

I can see that.

If you're an insider or participant, I think you hear the message about what's changing and know the reasons why. If you're more of a casual fan, you hear the more straightforward messages of "let me tell you about the improved policies and procedures we're putting in place to protect our performers" or "let me tell you how diligently we're investigating reports we've received about member mistreatment".