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The NSA may have been able to crack so much encryption thanks to a simple mistake

The NSA may have been able to crack so much encryption thanks to a simple mistake

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The NSA could have gained a significant amount of its access to the world’s encrypted communications thanks to the high-tech version of reusing passwords, according to a report from two US academics. Computer scientists J Alex Halderman and Nadia Heninger argue that a common mistake made with a regularly used encryption protocol leaves much encrypted traffic open to eavesdropping from a well-resourced and determined attacker such as the US national security agency. The information about the NSA leaked by Edward…

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NSA wants encryption that fends off quantum computing hacks

NSA wants encryption that fends off quantum computing hacks

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The National Security Agency isn’t just yearning for quantum computers that can break tough encryption — it wants encryption that can protect against quantum computers, too. Officials have begun planning a transition to “quantum resistant” encryption that can’t be cracked as quickly as conventional algorithms. As the NSA explains, even a seemingly exotic technique like elliptic curve cryptography “is not the long term solution” people thought it was. Quantum computing is advancing quickly enough that the NSA and other organizations…

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Google is Keeping the NSA Out of Your Data, Eric Schmidt Brags

Google is Keeping the NSA Out of Your Data, Eric Schmidt Brags

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Google (GOOGL) Chairman Eric Schmidt boasted on Wednesday about how improving the encryption of Google’s products has successfully shut out warrantless surveillance by the NSA and other law enforcement. Schmidt talked about the encryption advances, and how former NSA contractor Edward Snowden’s leaks prompted them, at BoxDev, a yearly developers conference for Box. “When the Snowden revelations came out, we were very, very upset,” Schmidt told Aaron Levie, CEO of Box. “They never said anything to us. So we embarked upon a…

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The NSA wants a multi-part encryption key for “front door” access to your data

The NSA wants a multi-part encryption key for “front door” access to your data

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The US National Security Agency (NSA) appears to be increasingly concerned about the growing adoption of encryption and its ability to thwart the agency’s surveillance efforts. Now, after months of debate with tech firms about government access to encrypted data on smartphones and other devices, the NSA has proposed a solution which it hopes will strike a balance between its desire to know everything about everyone and the average law-abiding citizen’s right to privacy. According to The Washington Post, that solution –…

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