Security Expert Says Iowa Caucus App Was Prone to Hackers

We now know that a glitch in the smart phone app used to count and report votes delayed results from last week's Iowa caucus.

But the website ProPublica.org reports it could’ve been much worse. According to Veracode, a software security firm, the app known as “Iowa Reporter“ was so insecure that sensitive information, including vote totals and passwords, could have been hacked, intercepted or even changed.

Veracode’s chief technology officer Chris Wysopal said it was a “poor decision“ to release the software without first testing and fixing the problems.

There’s been no evidence that hackers intercepted or tampered with caucus results, but the incident has raised fresh doubts about the 2020 election overall.

ProPublica.org said the Iowa Democratic Party referred questions to the app maker, Shadow Inc. who said "no hack or intrusion occurred" and that while the integrity of the vote in Iowa was not compromised in any way, "the app is not currently in use".

On Tuesday, February 11 the New Hampshire primaries will deliver another set of results for the Democratic Party candidates.

New Hampshire will not be using this app. But let’s hope that hackers don’t find some other way into their systems.

Hackers really don’t care about Democrats or Republicans, they simply want to disrupt our nation's elections process. It’s important that we get this right...and right now.

ProPublica.org