--Election Integrity and National Security__

Given all that we know with these voting systems and software, it is more important now than ever to take a hard look at our election integrity. Technology has made it more possible to breach security than ever before. Software with “backdoors” designed to allow voter tabulation manipulation is just the tip of the iceberg. Our national security is also at risk.

In 2014, the CIA made a sweetheart deal with Amazon to use commercial cloud computing for its operations. Ironically, the deal was first outlined by former Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper. Clapper was also named by whistleblower Dennis Montgomery in the whistleblower tapes that outlined 47 hard drives of information on the commandeering of the Hammer software. Hammer and Scorecard are used together to manipulate votes.

The CIA using commercial cloud computing through Amazon Web Services is a “radical departure” from its normal mode of operation. What is even more troubling is that the AWS pod networking uses parts built in other countries, namely China. In 2016 Bloomberg Business reported that Amazon “quietly began [an] evaluation a start-up company called Elemental Technologies… that fit nicely with Amazon’s government businesses, such as the highly secure cloud that Amazon Web Services (AWS) was building for the CIA.”

However, it was discovered that there was a tiny microchip, no bigger than a grain of rice nestled on the motherboard of the new technology. Bloomberg reported that “Elemental’s servers could be found in Department of Defense data centers, the CIA’s drone operations, and the onboard networks of Navy warships.” It was also reported that “investigators determined that the chips allowed the attackers to create a stealth doorway into any network that included the altered machines.” These hardware hacks were inserted in factories run by manufacturing subcontractors in China.

These hardware attacks are about access. As reported, “The implant was placed on the board in a way that allowed it to effectively edit this information queue, injecting its own code or altering the order of the instructions the CPU was meant to follow.” What could this mean for our National Security? With technology now at the forefront of our most secret operations, is it worth asking the questions about being compromised?

More importantly, our intelligence agencies have been aware of all of these facts. They have been made aware of the security concerns regarding our elections. Why has it been allowed to progress to the point that confidence in our technology is no longer warranted? Moreover, why are journalists not asking these questions?

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