Survey on Security in Electronic Voting Systems - Essay Example

Survey paper on Electronic voting protocols Research Papers The Article on E-Voting using Double-Blind Identity-Based Encryption explains a model that uses double blind encryption based on the user identity. The model is explained as an extension of the blind IBE schemes which allow the user to construct an identity string that is partially concealed to the key generation center (KGC) and the KGC to add to the constructed string that are concealed from the user. The advantages of the E-Voting System: It provides secrecy and protects the privacy of the voter since the vote is cast anonymously. The credentials of the voter are only checked prior to entering the voting booth. The system allows for the generation of a ballot based on the credentials of the voter and the validity of the credentials determine the number of votes that the voter can cast. Due to this, the system provides uniqueness of votes ensuring that no voter can vote more than once. The receipt that the voter receives after casting a ballot cannot be used to prove to any third party that they cast a specific vote with the intention to coerce them. The system also allows for the verification of individual votes to assure the voters that their votes have been accurately recorded. This can be achieved by inspecting both sides of the ballot paper and checking to see if the unique random number on the voting receipt is on the bulletin board. It also provides accountability such that third parties can confirm that the voting process was valid. The results are only released after the official counting is complete to ensure fairness and to discourage malicious actions by observers. The end to end verification system which allows the detection of malicious behavior at various stages of the voting process also reduces chances of invalid votes. The disadvantages of the system: The main disadvantages of the system are the security issues involved in electronic voting. Data is susceptible to interruptions and alteration by the installation of viruses in online databases by operators with malicious intentions. There is also unequal access to the internet by voters due to unequal chances of acquiring equipment necessary for electronic voting. Due to the differences in salaries, some voters may be left out from the voting process. The system can be improved by several methods. The E-voting scheme is only applicable for general elections with several contending candidates which feature the majority and plurality style election styles. The scheme can be improved to function in proportional representation. The system is however vulnerable. Parties that are entrusted to execute the algorithm of scheme may compromise the system to work in an abnormal way. The installation of a virus onto the databases could also lead to discrepancies in the results of the voting process. The article on a practical secret voting scheme for large scale elections proposes a secret voting system which involves voters, an administrator and a counter which can be replaced with a public board as the participants of the process. It is applicable for a large scale election where it protects the privacy of the voter and ensures the fairness of the voting process regardless of the actions of the administrator and counter. Every voter has a unique ordinary signature scheme while the administrator has a blind signature scheme. The counter is only tasked with the creation and publish of a list of ballots. The system has several advantages: It solves the fairness and privacy issues portrayed in the previous methods of the encryption of files and sending of ballots through secret means of communication. The security of the scheme is ensured by the correct counting of all valid votes. The process is clear, sound and accountable and promotes fairness to discourage dishonesty in voters that would affect the process. The votes are kept private. The voters have to provide their credentials which ensures that every voter is qualified and to prevent the casting of multiple votes by a single voter. Even in the case that the administrator and the counter conspire, the system protects the privacy of the voter hence the relationship between the voter and the cast vote hence the result of the process is trustable. The system has some disadvantages: The fairness of the voting process through both the encryption of files and sending of ballots through secret means of communication is dependent on the integrity of the administrator and counter who open the ballot boxes. These officials could leak the result hence affecting the fairness of the process. The system can be improved by several methods: The detection of fraud by the administrator should be automated to ensure any votes that lack the blind digital signature of the administrator are detected without the flagging by the voters’ complaints. The system can be vulnerable to several factors: If all the voting centers conspire against the voting process, then the ballot sent in encrypted from is compromised. If the voter sends an illegal encryption key that cannot open their cast votes, then it is difficult to determine the dishonest party in the process. The article an anonymous electronic voting protocol for voting over the internet proposes an electronic voting system that is secure and that allows the voter to cast a vote through an authentic untraceable message. It has several advantages: The system ensures accurate results by preventing the alteration of already cast votes and guaranteeing voters that their valid votes have been counted. Credentials of all voters are checked to ensure that all voters are eligible and to ensure that each voter casts a single vote. The system also protects the privacy of the voter since the ballot cannot be traced back to the voter. The voter has the ability to verify that the vote cast has successfully been counted. In case a voter does not participate in the voting process, there is no way that their vote can be forged. The system also has some disadvantages: It is possible for the agents involved to collude with the voter to perpetrate fraud. The CA may generate counterfeit signed ballots while the VC substitutes valid ballots with counterfeit ones if the voters after receiving the CA’s signature decide not to vote. Without the intervention of the voter, this fraud could go undetected. The voter can identify their cast votes hence these does not prevent the purchase of votes. The vote can be traced back to the IP address of the voter hence if the voter uses a personal computer then their privacy could be violated. The system can be improved by several methods: The system should protect the privacy of the voter by ensuring the vote cannot be traced back to neither the voter nor the IP address used. The voter should be able to see the vote cast using a unique id which they cannot prove to a third party. This would reduce the buying of votes. However, the system is also vulnerable. The agents assigned to the process could scheme with some voters to perpetrate fraud. Since each voter is registered in the system, it would be difficult to suspect this fraud. The voting more than once is prevented by the certifying authority agent’s signature. Hence a CA with malicious intentions could significantly affect the integrity of the results. The article on pseudo-voter identity (PVID) scheme for e-voting protocols is based on a blind signature applied on the pseudo identities chosen by voters which provides the anonymity. These pseudo identities are used by the voters throughout their communication with the voting authorities. The PVID scheme produces a list of blinded identities with unique signatures and the voter is able to acquire an identity which is then signed by an approval official. The system has several advantages: The privacy of the voter is ensured since the vote does not contain the real identity of the voter. The cost of blind signatures is small in terms of calculations and the computation of data unlike in anonymity encryption techniques. The registration authority only issue a blind signature after verifying the voter’s credentials hence the protocol ensures that only eligible voters participate. The encryption of the ballots with a unique PVID ensures each voter can only cast one vote. The system allows for recasting of votes in the case that the voter is coerced to vote in a particular way and the last vote is counted while the first is discarded. The PVID uses blind signatures based on the RSA public key cryptosystem that is infeasible and the key generated is only known by the voter who generates it. Some disadvantages of the system: The system allows for the recasting of votes and only counts the last vote. The system is only applicable in virtual e-voting protocols that satisfy the requirements. The system can be improved by the integration with the e-voting protocols that are already in use in the future. This would ensure the privacy of the voters by satisfying their anonymity. The system can also be attacked. Since the encryption process is carried out online, it could be affected by the installation of a virus on the databases that could cause damage to the encryption process. The article on secure e-voting with blind signature proposes an e-voting for use in a general election that utilizes cryptographic techniques to ensure the security of the voting process. The privacy of the voter is protected by the use of blind signatures and the digital signature of the voter is used for authentication. The scheme uses Java socket technology as well as the Bouncy Castle cryptography provider which is an open source library. The provider ensures the security of the communication channel between the voter and the authorities. A password –based encryption is used for the voter’s private key for authenticity. The system has several advantages: The scheme uses digital signatures encrypted using RSA public key encryption algorithm which ensures the authenticity of the message received from the voter. It also uses a blind signature which ensures that the contents of the ballot document are not revealed to the official who signs it. The electronic voting process ensures increased turn up of voters since it is faster and the results are obtained much faster than in traditional systems. Disadvantages of the system include: Data is susceptible to alteration by the installation of viruses in online databases by operators with malicious intentions. The unequal chances of acquiring equipment necessary for electronic voting by voters due to low wages may leave out some voters from the voting process. The system can be improved by several methods: By implementing web-based voting instead of downloading the application would ensure the ease of voting for all voters. The storage of the private key by the voter can be stored on a smart card instead of on diskettes due to the phasing out of the technology. The system can further be secured by using biometric authentication techniques such as fingerprints and face detection systems. The system can also be attacked by parties that are entrusted to execute the algorithm of scheme who may compromise the system to work in an abnormal way. The installation of a virus onto the databases could also lead to discrepancies in the results of the voting process. The article on the design of protocol for e-voting on the internet proposes an electronic voting protocol which employs blind signatures to ensure the eligibility of voters to participate and whose communications are based on the internet. The e-voting system is integrated with the web browser and email software to ease the process. The model consists of voters, a certificate authority (CA), a tally center (TC), a voting center (VC), an authentication center (AC) and a supervisor center (SC). The system has several advantages: It ensures that only eligible voters are allowed to participate by ensuring that each qualifying voter is given a unique blind signature to login into the voting center. The unique pseudonym signature also ensure that the voter can only cast the vote once. To protect the privacy of the voter, the scheme allows every voter to choose a random pseudonym which is signed by the blind signature technique. Some of the disadvantages of this system include: The time taken for the voting process is dependent on the servers of that particular region. If the servers are not designed to handle a lot of traffic then the website will be slow and the process becomes frustrating to the voters. The system can be improved by several methods. The process can be made faster by dividing the voting populations into smaller divisions to reduce the traffic on the website. This could also be achieved by expanding the server capability to accommodate the large number of voters. Like other systems it can also be attacked. By breaking the AC and VC signature schemes, ineligible voters can forge identities. A computer virus could also affect the results of the process. Conclusion From the review, my opinion is that the Pseudo-Voter Identity (PVID) Scheme for e-Voting Protocols is the best model among the six reviewed schemes since it is the most secure scheme that protects the identity of the voter and ensures the integrity of the results. Read More