Thread by @jennycohn1, A “bug” identified in a September 2020 TX examiner’s report would have [...]

A “bug” identified in a September 2020 TX examiner’s report would have allowed voting machine vendor ES&S to install unauthorized software on its DS200, DS850, DS450, ExpressVote & ExpressVote XL voting systems which are used throughout the US. 1/ https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/forms/sysexam/brian-mechler-ESS-exam-report-EVS6110-aug.pdf

I’m not saying that ES&S DID exploit this bug to upload unauthorized voting-system software. The point is that it opened the door to this possibility and, for some reason, @TXsecofstate withheld its report disclosing the defect until yesterday. 2/

Did they patch the security hole? If so, did the EAC certify the patch? Because I found no reference to such a patch on @EACgov’s website. 3/

How many voting systems in how many states were potentially impacted? I don’t know. But the systems listed are used in many states. Maybe this was addressed and remedied everywhere it needed to be between September 2020 & the election. But I’m not in a mood to “assume.” 4/

How many prior elections were potentially impacted by this “bug” that allowed ES&S to install unauthorized voting-system software IF it chose to do that? 2016 perhaps? 5/

Why don’t Republicans want to investigate ES&S, which is larger than Dominion and more glaringly corrupt? The GOP’s singular focus on Dominion is bizarre and, quite frankly, suspicious in itself. 6/

And I felt that way even before learning a few days ago that ES&S’s hash script had this “bug” that would have enabled it to install unauthorized voting-system software if it chose to do that (which is a big “if”). But still. Damn this is big. 7/

To be clear, if this bug involved Dominion, Sidney Powell and QAnon would falsely claim that it proves “fraud”. It doesn’t prove fraud and it doesn’t involve Dominion (the only vendor the GOP is targeting, which is odd in itself). It provides what I wld call inquiry notice. 8/

It provides reason to investigate and that’s what I plan to do. 9/

10/ Good point, @VickerySec https://twitter.com/vickerysec/status/1334209107612426241