Updated and Rewritten Article
Cybersecurity Specialist Discusses Alleged Fraud and Voting Security Measures in Venezuela's Presidential Contest
The July 28, 2024, presidential elections in Venezuela stirred controversy leaving many wondering if the electoral system was tampered with. Opposition supporters allege that right-wing candidate Edmundo González, backed by María Corina Machado, was robbed of victory due to election fraud.
In a bid to address the doubts surrounding the Venezuelan electoral system, we spoke to Professor Víctor Theoktisto, a computer science expert at Simón Bolívar University.
Following the elections, Nicolás Maduro secured 5,150,092 votes (51.20%), while Edmundo González garnered 4,445,978 votes (44.2%). However, the announcement was met with suspicion as the National Electoral Council (CNE) had reported a cyberattack against its data transmission system.
Throughout the night, supporters of González and Machado shared photos of voting machine tallies on social media, claiming victory, and rejecting Maduro's announced victory.
The next day, Machado and González claimed to possess 80% of the tally sheets and declared revised results with 7,156,462 votes for Edmundo González (67%) and 3,241,461 votes for Nicolás Maduro (30%).
The opposition has cried foul in previous major elections, but this time they released three websites publishing 24,000 alleged tally sheets. These documents were compiled and could be reviewed by state, municipality, and voting center, allowing people to verify the results.
Elections in Venezuela are automated, with voters casting their vote at a machine that prints a receipt, which is then placed in a box. The machine keeps track of each vote and transmits the results to the CNE tallying center. Scanned copies of the tally sheet are provided to witnesses of each political party for verification.
However, due to a cyberattack on the CNE website, verification of the data has been hindered. CNE president Elvis Amoroso did not provide additional details about the attack.
Following the election results, President Nicolás Maduro went to the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) to request an investigation into the process. Maduro summoned all candidates to provide accounts and legal documents, including the tally sheets. Only Edmundo González failed to attend the hearing, fueling suspicions.
With two drastically different sets of results, it remains unknown who won the elections. The people of Venezuela are eagerly awaiting evidence and answers, not only to determine the election winner but also to expose the truth and bring an end to the unrest in the country.
Meanwhile, violent protests took place in several cities across the nation, leaving several dead, dozens injured, and causing damage to institutions and public infrastructure. The Venezuelan government accused some of the instigators as members of criminal gangs hired to create chaos.
Maduro denounced ongoing coup support from the United States government, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken backed González as the supposed winner.
Venezuela's electoral system is renowned for its robust security measures. However, the complexity of the system can leave many uninformed about its security despite being one of the best in the world.
Interview with Víctor Theoktisto
Professor Theoktisto, a tenured professor in the Department of Computing and Information Technology at Simón Bolívar University, offered insights into the technical aspect of the electoral system allegations. He was part of a team of expert auditors from the university who assessed the Venezuelan electoral system in 2021 and 2024 on behalf of the CNE.
The team reviewed the source code of the system, including the fingerprint scanners, voting machines, and transmission and tallying systems, finding the security measures to be "ridiculously exaggerated," particularly those used for data transmission. The data transmissions use algorithms such as SHA-256 and AES in multiple layers.
Professor Theoktisto stated that there are no reports of data being altered or manipulated during transmission due to the protective mechanisms in place. He suggested that the reported attacks involved an attack on the CNE website and the transmission system, causing delays.
Preventing the publishing of results by polling station on the CNE website has made it difficult to verify data, and concerns about the integrity of the election results persist. The controversy surrounding the true winners of the elections, as well as the possible involvement of foreign powers, continues to challenge Venezuela's people's pursuit of peace and stability.
This article is intended for informational purposes and does not reflect the views of the Venezuelanalysis editorial staff.
Translated by Zigor Mendoza.
Source: Alba Ciudad
- Venezuelanalysis reported allegations from opposition supporters claiming election fraud in the July 28, 2024, Venezuelan presidential elections, suggesting that right-wing candidate Edmundo González, backed by María Corina Machado, was robbed of victory.
- In an interview with Venezuelanalysis, computer science expert Professor Víctor Theoktisto, from Simón Bolívar University, discussed the electoral system controversy, stating that the data transmissions use robust algorithms such as SHA-256 and AES, implying the system's security.
- Despite Theoktisto's assurance, concerns about the election's integrity persist due to a reported cyberattack on the National Electoral Council (CNE) website and the transmission system, causing delays.
- Technology expert Theoktisto suggested that the attack did not manipulate the data but instead aimed to hinder the publishing of results by polling station on the CNE website, making it difficult to verify data.
- The controversy surrounding the true winners of the elections, as well as the possible involvement of foreign powers, continues to challenge Venezuela's people's pursuit of peace and stability, as reported in general news and crime-and-justice sectors.
