Pentagon stands behind Internet voting system for troops

An Internet-based voting system for U.S. citizens in other countries that was developed by the Pentagon is so vulnerable to attacks that it should be scrapped, security experts said in a report released Wednesday.

But the Pentagon is backing the system, which could be tested Feb. 3 in South Carolina's primary election, the Associated Press reported.

Four computer security specialists said the Secure Electronic Registration and Voting Experiment, or SERVE, could be penetrated by hackers. The hackers could alter votes or collect information about users.

"Internet voting presents far too many opportunities for hackers or even terrorists to interfere with fair and accurate voting, potentially in ways impossible to detect,'' the computer experts said.

A Defense Department spokesman said the Pentagon was confident the system is secure. "We knew from the start that security would be the utmost concern," he said. "We've had things put in place that counteract the things they talked about."

The four experts are among 10 the Pentagon asked to study the SERVE system and look for vulnerabilities. The other security experts decided not to issue a report, he said.