Are Elections Securely Controlled? Questions Raised About NIS Election Manipulation.

The National Election Commission of Korea recently confirmed that the voting and vote-counting systems, as well as the internal network, are highly vulnerable to external hacking. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) stated that these vulnerabilities need to be addressed.

 

Controversy surrounding this issue continues. The clash of opinions between the National Election Commission and the NIS could heighten public anxiety, emphasizing the urgent need for stronger cybersecurity measures.

 

After conducting a joint 12-week security check with the National Election Commission, the NIS announced that they found numerous flaws in the commission's cyber security system. In the process, a simulated "virtual hacker" penetrated the commission's network and was able to alter the records, showing that individuals who had voted in advance were recorded as having not voted, and even registered non-existent voters. Furthermore, it was revealed that a hacker could access the vote-counting system and manipulate the results.

 

The NIS stated, "The joint security team utilized hacking techniques commonly employed by international hacking organizations to infiltrate the commission's system," and explained that the situation leaves room for a potential attack by external forces, including North Korea.

 

However, the Election Commission promptly released a separate statement, explaining that the security check "focused only on the technical aspects, excluding additional measures to prevent election fraud" and that the scenario presented by the NIS would be practically impossible without a large number of internal collaborators working in an organized manner to render the security monitoring system inoperative.

 

Controversy surrounding this issue continues. The clash of opinions between the National Election Commission and the NIS could heighten public anxiety, emphasizing the urgent need for stronger cybersecurity measures. To ensure higher levels of security and trust in future elections, it is imperative to establish a more robust cybersecurity system. This incident should serve as a reminder for the government and related agencies to pay even greater attention to cybersecurity.