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Voting machines vulnerable to hacking due to phase out of Windows 7 support

July 15, 2019

Most voting machines in the U.S. are vulnerable to hacking since they use Windows 7 or an older operating system to create ballots, program machines and tally votes and report counts, according to an AP study reported by latestnewsglobal.

Windows 7 reaches its "end of life" on Jan. 14, when Microsoft will stop providing technical support and "patches" to fix hacking vulnerabilities. Microsoft said Friday it will offer continued security updates for a fee through 2023.

The AP found multiple battleground states affected by the end of the software support, including Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and North Carolina. Michigan, which recently acquired a new system, and Georgia, which will soon announce a new system, will also be impacted.

Three companies dominate election technology: Election Systems and Software LLC in Omaha, Dominion Voting Systems Inc. in Denver and Hart InterCivic Inc. in Austin, according to a 2017 study.

Dominion's newer systems are not affected by upcoming Windows software issues, the report noted, although it has systems it acquired from other companies that could run on older operating systems.