Comelec urged to adopt cyber security amid hacking fears

A computer expert said Sunday that there is need for the Commission on Election (Comelec) to adopt cyber security amid fears of internet hacking as the Philippine is set to go for poll automation this 2010.

Speaking at the Balitaan sa Tinapayan news forum held in Sampaloc, Manila, computer expert Dante Mara raised the concern of hacking because the system to be used by consortium of Smartmatic-Total Information Management Corp. (TIM) may be susceptible to hacking of internal data system.

The Smartmatic will supply the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines that the Comelec will use in automating the 2010 national elections.

Mara stressed that the Comelec should opt for a closed loop network that would not be open to outside influences.

“There is no assurance from Comelec and Smartmatic that there will be no problem on mode of connectivity and the outside influences as they will be using worldwide net,” he said.

“The Smartmatic will be using overlaying network using satellite so the data will be transmitted to the main from regional and provincial. The system is good but many factors can affect the transmittal like the clouds, the rains and most importantly the power supply. What if they encounter powers supply interruption?,” he asked,

Mara said another concern is the risk of hacking because Smartmatic will be using worldwide network (internet) as it is open to interference worldwide. “This is the reason why the Comelec should adopt cyber security and come up with a system for auditing,” he said.

Retired police general Virtus Gil, former Western Police District (WPD) director and is now into cyber security agency, echoed Mara’s concerns, saying that the he read the contract of Smartmatic with the Comelec and it did not touch much of the cyber security of the system.

Mara also said the Congress needs to allocate additional P7.2 billion for the cyber security. “This is also for the future of the government. In fact the system to be used should be owned by the government to avoid outside influences,” he said.

Meanwhile, Comelec Commissioner Rene V. Sarmiento Sunday allayed fears that the automated election system can be hacked, the vote results altered during electronic transmission and the system programmed to favor specific candidate or group of candidates, even as he stressed that Republic Act 9369 or the Poll Automation Law squarely addresses these concerns.

In an 11-page study which he submitted to the Comelec en banc headed by Chairman Jose A.R. Melo coinciding with the publication of the statement attributed to Issues and Advocacy Center and the National Computer Center that the Philippine Automated Poll System can be hacked, Sarmiento cited at least 10 safeguards contained in RA 9369 which were precisely crafted to prevent hacking and abort automated cheating and tampering of results during transmission.

Sarmiento said these safeguards were formulated by lawmakers with the help of inputs from the private sector and information technology (IT) experts from nongovernmental electoral reforms groups who appeared during the public hearing on the legislative measure.

He said among the safeguards are the Source Code Review by any interested political party or groups and Field Testing of Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines followed by a mock election event in one or more cities or municipalities. RA 9369 also provides for the examination and testing of PCOS by political parties and candidates or their representatives, Sarmiento pointed out.