How to hack an EVM in five steps explained by AAP's engineer-turned-MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today staged a "live demonstration" of alleged EVM manipulation in the Delhi Assembly. AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj claimed that anyone knowing a "secret code" can tamper with the EVMs and the code can be fed into a machine while casting vote.

This is how Bhardwaj claimed it can be done:
1) Manipulators use simple codes to make any candidate win. This can be done by changing motherboard of the the said EVM.


2) On entering the code, one can completely change the outcome of votes for that machine.

3) Tampered EVMs can show correct result for a few votes.

4) An EVM can also be reset to show how the machine that can pass the test on a polling day can be tweaked during the voting process.

5) All of this can be done within 90 seconds.
What the EC has to say?
The Election Commission said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) used a prototype of Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) for the demonstration in Delhi Assembly and it is not on Election Commission of India Electronic Voting Machine (EVM).

Can it really be done? Here's why it is next to impossible as per EC
1)The new M3 EVM machines have Tamper Detection to make an EVM inoperative the moment anyone tries to open the machine. There is also a Self-diagnostic feature to check the EVM fully, every time it is switched on to detect any changes in its hardware or software.

2) EC's EVMs are kept in a double-lock system which is periodically checked. No unauthorised person can get access to the EVMs at any point in time. During non-election period, Annual Physical Verification of all EVMs is done by DEOs in April and report sent to ECI.

3) EVMs are being produced indigenously by two PSUs. The Software Programme Code is written in-house, by these two companies and is not outsourced, so as to maintain the highest levels of security.

4) India only uses microchips from manufacturers in US or Japan as India does not have the capability of producing microchips within the country. The software code is written in India by is converted into machine code and only then given to the chip manufacturer in US or Japan.

5) Every microchip has an identification number and the producers have their digital signatures on them. So, the question of their replacement does not arise at all because microchips are subjects to functional tests with regard to the software.

6) EVMs are randomised twice while being allocated to an Assembly and then to a polling booth and then Mock Polling is conducted in front of polling agents and representatives of each political party on the poll day before polls begin. After Poll, EVMs are sealed and polling agents put their sign on the seal.