Computer fraud
in the 2015 election in Israel? Shin-Bet
Head Nadav Argaman is asked to clarify…
False
and misleading FOIA response by the Central Election Committee states
that the Shin-Bet examined and certified “Democracy” - the
Committee's IT
system. Successive State Ombudsman’s
reports documented
critical security
failures in “Democracy”…
Shin-Bet Head Nadav Argaman is asked to confirm or refute the
Committee’s claims regarding Shin-Bet certification
of “Democracy”…
Figure:
Saturday, September 24, 2016,
screen prints from the Central Election Committee’s
web site, as
published by activists, who routinely monitor the site.
The election
returns shown here are from a single polling station. The
results of the 2013 general election (right)
were
adulterated, and
are patently false, showing
an exact
copy of the 2015 general election returns (left),
including parties that did not even exist in 2013.
The Committee’s
FOIA response failed to answer: Under whose authority information is
published on the Committee’s web site?
(image by Public)
(image by Public)
______
Figure:
Netanyahu, departing Shin-Bet Head Yoram Cohen and incoming Shin-Bet
Head Nadav Argaman in May 2016.
The 2015 general
election results, as published by the Central Election Committee. The
alleged computer election fraud in 2015 added 4 or more mandates (out
of 120) to Netanyahu’s Likud party (Blue – 30 mandate). The
Zionist Alliance came in second (brown – 24 mandates) and the Arab
United Front came in third (grey – 13 mandates). Netanyahu’s
election win defied all up to the last minute pollsters’
predictions. Initial report alleging computer fraud was published by
the Daily Kos a few days after the election.
Attorney Orly Adas,
CEO of the Central Election Committee, in a promotional photo towards
the 2015 election in front of a room-full of computers. According to
Attorney Adas and Attorney Elad Naveh (FOIA Officer of the
Committee), the Committee’s “Democracy” IT system was examined
and certified by the Shin-Bet. In contrast, the State Ombudsman
report on the 2015 election documents critical security failures in
“Democracy”, and further notes that the same critical failures
had already been documented in his 2013 report, but had not been
fixed...
July 2016 ceremony,
launching of the Technion’s new, publicly-funded Cyber Security
Research Center. From left: Prof Peretz Lavie – Technion President,
Eviatar Matania, PhD –
Head of the National Cyber
Bureau in the Prime Minister office, and
Prof Eli Biham – Head of the new Center. Prof Biham refuses to
comment on claims of computer fraud in the 2015 general election.
____
OccupyTLV, January 16 – inquiry has been filed today with Shin-Bet Head Nadav Argaman, asking him to confirm or refute that “Democracy” - IT system of the Central Election Committee - was examined and certified by the Shin-Bet’s Information Security Authority (Re’em).
The
inquiry states that the Central Election Committee claims that the
system was examined and certified by the Shin-Bet. In contrast, the
State Ombudsman’s report on the 2015 general election documented
critical security failure in “Democracy” - failure
to implement in the system a
valid entry log. Moreover, the same State Ombudsman report
documented
that already his report on the 2013 general election had pointed out
the same critical security failures.
Regardless, up
to
the 2015 general election, such failures
had not been corrected…
Today’s
inquiry with the Shin-Bet Head Argaman
states that combined, the information,
which was provided by the Central
Election Committee and the State Ombudsman’s reports raise serious
concerns regarding competence and integrity of the
Shin-Bet and Re’em. Moreover, such
information raises serious concerns regarding the nature of the
regime of the
State of Israel today...
This is not the first inquiry of this kind with the Shin-Bet. In 2014 inquiry was sent to then Shin-Bet Head Yoram Cohen, informing him of a March 2002 hack (inside job) of IT systems of the Supreme Court, which was followed by massive falsification of Supreme Court electronic records. The 2014 Shin-Bet response was that the Shin-Bet was not charged with security of the Supreme Court’s IT systems. At the same time, the Administration of Courts refused to answer on a FOIA request, which sought to identify the agency that was charged with security of IT systems of the courts…
This is not the first inquiry of this kind with the Shin-Bet. In 2014 inquiry was sent to then Shin-Bet Head Yoram Cohen, informing him of a March 2002 hack (inside job) of IT systems of the Supreme Court, which was followed by massive falsification of Supreme Court electronic records. The 2014 Shin-Bet response was that the Shin-Bet was not charged with security of the Supreme Court’s IT systems. At the same time, the Administration of Courts refused to answer on a FOIA request, which sought to identify the agency that was charged with security of IT systems of the courts…
System
analysis and data mining documented massive security failures in IT
systems of the Israeli Supreme Court. Based on such studies, which
were filed with the UN Human Rights Council, the 2013 Universal
Periodic Review-Professional Staff Report states: “Lack of
integrity in electronic record systems of the Supreme Court… in
Israel.”
Obviously,
security failure in IT systems of the courts in general, and of the
Supreme Court in particular, also bears serious implications relative
to the nature of the Israeli regime…
In
a meeting with a senior expert, a person of authority relative to
Israeli e-government systems, there was full agreement that one of
the key e-government failures is in the definition of “critical
systems”, security of which is assigned to the Shin-Bet/Re’em.
The same person also opined that the Shin-Bet’s involvement in
e-government was a central cause of e-government integrity failure…
E-government
security in Israel has been further mired over the past year with the
establishment by Netanyahu of a National Cyber Bureau in the Prime
Minister’s office, headed by Eviatar Matania, PhD, and a National
Cyber Authority, both without adequate legal foundation. With it,
Netanyahu gained full control of all critical national information
systems.
Over
the past year, two publicly funded Cyber Security Research Centers
were also launched in leading Israeli academic institutions – the
Technion and the Hebrew University. Prof Eli Biham, a world-renowned
cryptology expert and Head of the Technion’s new Cyber Security
Research Center, refuses to comment on evidence of fraud in IT
systems of the Central Election Committee.
The
claims of computer fraud in the 2015 general election undermines the
foundation of lawful authority of the current Knesset and the current
cabinet. The documented fraud in IT systems of the courts should
also be deemed undermining the lawful foundation of the regime.
Fraud has been repeatedly documented also in IT systems of the
Ministry of Justice. And the Knesset refuses to lawfully answer on
FOIA requests, pertaining to IT systems of the Knesset itself…
Combined,
the fraud in e-government in Israel represents transformation of the
regime into the Post-Truth Era… Conditions in the US are not much
different…
Following is today’s inquiry with Shin-Bet Head Nadav Argaman
January 16, 2017
Following is today’s inquiry with Shin-Bet Head Nadav Argaman
January 16, 2017
Nadav
Argaman, Head of Shin-Bet
Prime
Minister's Office
Ben
Gurion City, Building C
Jerusalem
91950
By
fax: 02-5605000, and by certified mail
RE:
Allegation of computer fraud in the 2015 general election –
Shin-Bet standing relative to the Central Election Committee’s IT
systems
Your
response within 45 days is kindly requested, pursuant to the
Administrative Procedure Reform Act (1958).
Dear
Mr Argaman:
Publications,
which started abroad a few days after the 2015 general election for
the 20th Knesset, and which were later followed by
publications in Israel, raised suspicions of material computer fraud
in the 2015 general election. Therefore, I filed a FOIA request with
the Central Election Committee [CEC], in an attempt to document
development, validation, implementation, operation and security in
compliance with binding standards. [1]
The
names of three attorneys appear on the perverted CEC’s FOIA
response: 1. Elad Naveh - FOIA Officer; 2. Orly Adas - Central
Election Committee CEO, 3. Dean Livneh - Central Election Committee
Legal Advisor. [2]
Reply
on the CEC’s FOIA
response notes that the
information, which
was provided in the response, was
partly invalid, party misleading, and failed to provide the key
records which had been
requests, including but not limited to:
[3]
-
According to the CEC’s response, validity and integrity of the CEC’s IT systems mostly depended on one person - Mr Lazar Dudovitch, whose lawful appointment record the CEC failed to provide. The CEC also failed to provide the requested certification records, pertaining to validation of the systems by the same person.
-
The CEC's response tries to represent the publication of the election returns in the CEC's web site as an automatic, no human touch, one time only, unchangeable process. The CEC also failed to provide the requested documentation regarding the person, under whose authority such information is published in the CEC web site. However, adulterations of the data on the CEC’s web site have been repeatedly documented in recent months...
-
The CEC claims in its response, “the systems were examined and certified by the authority [Shin Bet-Reem – jz]”, but the CEC failed to provide any of the requested documentation of such certification. In contrast, the State Ombudsman's report following the 2015 general election indicates critical failures in system security (no valid entry log), which had not been corrected following his report on the 2013 general election.
The
alleged computer fraud in the 2015 general
election undermines the foundation of
any lawful authority of the 20th
Knesset and the current government. If indeed the Shin-Bet is
involved, as claimed by the CEC,
the matter has serious implications relative to competence
and integrity of the Shin-Bet, and the
nature of the regime in Israel.
Therefore,
I herein request that you confirm or refute the Central Election
Committee’s claims
regarding examination and certification
by the Shin-Bet-Reem of the Central
Election Committee’s IT systems.
Truly,
Joseph
Zernik, PhD
Human
Rights Alert (NGO)
OccupyTLV
CC:
Activists,
Others
Attachments/Links:
[1]
2016-12-14
Central Election Committee FOIA (1/1214/16) : IT systems
[2]
2017-01-12
FOIA Response (1/1214/16) by the Central Election Committee, in re IT
systems
[3]
2017-01-12 Reply on FOIA
Response (1/1214/16) by the Central Election Committee, in re:
IT systems
