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Here’s how AG Barr is going to get encryption 'backdoors'
If you heard the reverberation of a few thousand heads exploding last week, it was the sound of information security professionals reacting to US Attorney General Barr saying that Big Tech "can and must" put backdoors into encryption. In his speech for a cybersecurity conference at Fordham University, Barr warned tech companies that time was running out for them to develop ways for the government to break encryption. FBI Director Christopher Wray agreed with him.
That time your smart toaster broke the internet
Where were you the day the internet died? Last Friday the internet had its biggest hiccup to date when a whole bunch of major websites were maliciously knocked offline. Harnessing the weak security of internet-connected devices, like DVRs and cameras, the attackers used botnets implanted on the devices to traffic-overload the one business keeping those sites' domain names functional.
Tor promises not to build backdoors into its services
Tor has published what it calls a "Social Contract" comprised of promises to users and the principles the team believes in. It has been around for over a decade, so publishing a set of goals and behaviors at this point in time is rather curious. Maybe its developers wanted to show the world that they didn't lose their focus after Jacob Appelbaum, one of Tor's most prominent devs, stepped down in the midst of sexual harassment allegations. Maybe it's because of something else. Whatever the reason is, its social contract contains one interesting pledge: "We will never implement front doors or back doors into our projects," the team wrote.
Senate to Americans: Your security is not our problem
The Senate Intelligence Committee just released a draft of long-awaited legislation to tackle the problem authorities have with encrypted communications. Namely, because encryption is so secure, it interferes with court orders in the same way private property poses problems for police who just want to get things done.
