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This advisory identifies vulnerabilities affecting versions of the Dominion Voting Systems Democracy Suite ImageCast X, which is an in-person voting system used to allow voters to mark their ballot. The ImageCast X can be configured to allow a voter to produce a paper record or to record votes electronically. While these vulnerabilities present risks that should be mitigated as soon as possible, CISA has no evidence that these vulnerabilities have been exploited in any elections. 

Exploitation of these vulnerabilities would require physical access to individual ImageCast X devices, access to the Election Management System (EMS), or the ability to modify files before they are uploaded to ImageCast X devices. Jurisdictions can prevent and/or detect the exploitation of these vulnerabilities by diligently applying the mitigations recommended in this advisory, including technical, physical, and operational controls that limit unauthorized access or manipulation of voting systems. Many of these mitigations are already typically standard practice in jurisdictions where these devices are in use and can be enhanced to further guard against exploitation of these vulnerabilities.

The following versions of the Dominion Voting Systems ImageCast X software are known to be affected (other versions were not able to be tested):

Any jurisdictions running ImageCast X are encouraged to contact Dominion Voting Systems to understand the vulnerability status of their specific implementation. 

NOTE: Mitigations to reduce the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities can be found in Section 3 of this document.

The tested version of ImageCast X does not validate application signatures to a trusted root certificate. Use of a trusted root certificate ensures software installed on a device is traceable to, or verifiable against, a cryptographic key provided by the manufacturer to detect tampering. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to install malicious code, which could also be spread to other vulnerable ImageCast X devices via removable media. 

CVE-2022-1739 has been assigned to this vulnerability. 

The tested version of ImageCast X’s on-screen application hash display feature, audit log export, and application export functionality rely on self-attestation mechanisms. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to disguise malicious applications on a device.

CVE-2022-1740 has been assigned to this vulnerability. 

The tested version of ImageCast X has a Terminal Emulator application which could be leveraged by an attacker to gain elevated privileges on a device and/or install malicious code.

CVE-2022-1741 has been assigned to this vulnerability. 

The tested version of ImageCast X allows for rebooting into Android Safe Mode, which allows an attacker to directly access the operating system. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges on a device and/or install malicious code.

CVE-2022-1742 has been assigned to this vulnerability. 

The tested version of ImageCast X can be manipulated to cause arbitrary code execution by specially crafted election definition files. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to spread malicious code to ImageCast X devices from the EMS. 

CVE-2022-1743 has been assigned to this vulnerability. 

Applications on the tested version of ImageCast X can execute code with elevated privileges by exploiting a system level service. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to escalate privileges on a device and/or install malicious code.

CVE-2022-1744 has been assigned to this vulnerability. 

The authentication mechanism used by technicians on the tested version of ImageCast X is susceptible to forgery. An attacker with physical access may use this to gain administrative privileges on a device and install malicious code or perform arbitrary administrative actions.

CVE-2022-1745 has been assigned to this vulnerability. 

The authentication mechanism used by poll workers to administer voting using the tested version of ImageCast X can expose cryptographic secrets used to protect election information. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to gain access to sensitive information and perform privileged actions, potentially affecting other election equipment.

CVE-2022-1746 has been assigned to this vulnerability. 

The authentication mechanism used by voters to activate a voting session on the tested version of ImageCast X is susceptible to forgery. An attacker could leverage this vulnerability to print an arbitrary number of ballots without authorization.

CVE-2022-1747 has been assigned to this vulnerability. 

J. Alex Halderman, University of Michigan, and Drew Springall, Auburn University, reported these vulnerabilities to CISA.

CISA recommends election officials continue to take and further enhance defensive measures to reduce the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities. Specifically, for each election, election officials should: 

For any questions related to this report, please contact the CISA at: Email: CISAservicedesk@cisa.dhs.gov Toll Free: 1-888-282-0870

For industrial control systems cybersecurity information:  https://us-cert.cisa.gov/ics  or incident reporting:  https://us-cert.cisa.gov/report

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