Matching right electronics, software & policy allows us to trust results of any foundational transaction, including voting. In an effort led by SSITH performer @galois, DARPA is bringing SSITH hardware defenses to DEF CON so they can be hacked & evaluated by security community.

By displaying SSITH’s capabilities in a public forum such as DEF CON, and again during a university roadshow, DARPA seeks to engage the broader technical community focused on securing election systems.

This investment alone won't solve all issues w/ election security, but it will demo what's possible & provide community w/ best practices. In addition, the evaluation could provide a template for using electronics design as part of the security solution for any critical system.

If we cannot faithfully represent a single multiple choice question, such as those presented on a ballot in a voting booth, then the process of making much more complicated military systems secure is immensely more difficult.

DARPA believes a domain such as voting security – where integrity must be incredibly high and the faith of the public is required – is the correct place to engage the community to begin crafting a more secure future.