University of Computer Science details how he analyzed voting machine software and equipment and confirmed the power of the electoral system
Between 1 and 5 December, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) conducted the Test of Public Security (TPS) of electronic voting machines, an event that brought together experts, university researchers and independent investigators. The goal was to evaluate the reliability of the Brazilian electoral system in an open and transparent way.
Among the participants was Carlos Henrique Ferrao, 20, a computer science student, who spoke in detail about his experience in practical analysis of ballot box software and hardware.
Practical experience and learning
Carlos said he arrived at the event with a lot of doubts about how the polls would work. “I arrived with a lot of doubts, but they were all cleared up when I saw the source code and how digital signatures work. I understood the security of the system better,” he said.
He explained that the team began by testing the use of the Arduino, a microcontroller connected via USB, to automate commands and simulate access attempts. “We tried to (execute) the commands in the terminal, but we could not reach the shell or Grub. The machine recognized the Arduino, crashed, rebooted and caused two operational errors,” Carlos said.
Other tests included using a Raspberry Pi to attempt to inject malicious files and implementing keyloggers, always within the event rules. According to him, these experiences made it possible to understand the effort behind securing the ballot.
“Testing it in practice shows how secure the system is designed to be,” the student said. “Participating in this was a unique experience and an honor.”
Academic supervision and security enhancement
USP’s Computer and Network Engineering Laboratory (LARC) monitored all tests, ensuring that any vulnerabilities were recorded and the system remained secure.
Final reports and confidence building
The Tokyo Stock Exchange is scheduled to issue a partial report on December 18, consolidating the results, followed by a final report, at the beginning of next year.