News

Nov 06, 2024

Voting machine passwords in Colorado updated after accidental leak

Colorado elections workers crisscrossed the state over the past week to update voting-machine logins after their secret passwords were accidentally posted online for several months. State officials

Colorado elections workers crisscrossed the state over the past week to update voting-machine logins after their secret passwords were accidentally posted online for several months.

State officials said they were confident no one tampered with the machines after discovering the password breach and that votes would be safe. But they still scrambled to fix the leak, identified Oct. 24.

“Colorado’s elections are safe and Coloradans will have their voices heard on Election Day,” Secretary of State Jena Griswold said in a Monday statement. “I am regretful for this error. I am dedicated to making sure we address this matter fully and that mistakes of this nature never happen again.”

Passwords on voting systems in Colorado were exposed beginning on June 21, when a spreadsheet on the Colorado Department of State website included “partial passwords to certain components of Colorado voting systems.”

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The mistake went unnoticed until Oct. 24 and the machines were not compromised by the leak, because the passwords were one of several layers of security, according to a Nov. 4 Colorado Department of State news release. “No settings had been changed on any impacted active voting equipment," the state confirmed, after updating the password on machines in 34 of Colorado's 64 counties.

Former president Donald Trump issued a statement last week requesting the secretary of state identify and notify the counties affected by the security breach.

To change the passwords, Gov. Jared Polis and Griswold announced last week that they would provide 30 staff members, aircraft and vehicles, and other support.

Voting equipment is stored in rooms that require ID badges and are video recorded 24/7. The state staff working to update the passwords also “worked in pairs and were observed by county elections officials,” according to the release. “The passwords that were improperly disclosed were one of two passwords needed in combination to make changes to a voting system and can only be used with in-person physical access."

Despite the reassurances, the Libertarian Party of Colorado filed a lawsuit against the secretary of state, KOAA5 reported.