Allegations of election result tampering: Did data theft start at the YSK?
Following the fake diploma scandal, allegations have emerged that an organized data theft network infiltrated the Supreme Election Council (YSK) systems in 2009 and 2015. So, how did these breaches affect election security?
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The fake diploma scandal has once again laid bare the digital security vulnerabilities in Turkey. A new allegation regarding organized data theft has surfaced following claims of infiltrations into the computer systems of the Supreme Election Council (YSK) in 2009 and 2015.
“DID THE FIRST BREACH START AT THE YSK?”
Journalist Çiğdem Toker, in her article for T24, brought to the agenda suspicions that an organized data theft network had infiltrated YSK systems in 2009 and 2015. Toker emphasized that these allegations have once again brought Turkey's digital security vulnerability to light.
There is a striking section in the indictment accepted by the Ankara 28th High Criminal Court, in which the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) is the complainant. The suspect Muhammet Eşitmez, the defendant nicknamed “Hackerdede,” stated that the infiltration of state-owned data might have been carried out against YSK computers in 2009 and 2015. Eşitmez shared the following details regarding the establishment of the illegal query system named “Nexcity”:
"I know that the infiltration of state-owned data began in 2009 and 2015. However, I cannot say for sure whether these breaches were from the Supreme Election Council. Subsequently, up to 101 million pieces of data were entered into the Ministry of Health systems, and this data was extracted through various viruses."
DOES A BREACH FROM THE YSK THREATEN ELECTION SECURITY?
The part of Eşitmez's statement regarding “infiltration from YSK computers” poses a major threat to election security. Concerns that these leaks have the potential to interfere with election results have resonated throughout the public.
The allegations regarding fake diplomas and organized data theft have reopened the debate on Turkey's digital security systems. The data security of the Supreme Election Council is of critical importance for the transparency and reliability of elections.
In her article, Toker pointed out that Muhammet Eşitmez's statements need to be deepened with evidence.