General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) is a mobile data standard that was widely used in the early 2000s. The first encryption algorithm for that standard was GEA-1, a stream cipher built on three linear-feedback shift registers and a non-linear combining function. Although the algorithm has a 64-bit key, the effective key length is only 40 … Read More “Intentional Flaw in GPRS Encryption Algorithm GEA-1” »
Category: encryption
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For three years, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Australian Federal Police owned and operated a commercial encrypted phone app, called AN0M, that was used by organized crime around the world. Of course, the police were able to read everything — I don’t even know if this qualifies as a backdoor. This week, the … Read More “FBI/AFP-Run Encrypted Phone” »
This seems to be a new tactic: Emsisoft has identified two distinct tactics. In the first, hackers encrypt data with ransomware A and then re-encrypt that data with ransomware B. The other path involves what Emsisoft calls a “side-by-side encryption” attack, in which attacks encrypt some of an organization’s systems with ransomware A and others … Read More “Double-Encrypting Ransomware” »
According to Wired, Signal is adding support for the cryptocurrency MobileCoin, “a form of digital cash designed to work efficiently on mobile devices while protecting users’ privacy and even their anonymity.” Moxie Marlinspike, the creator of Signal and CEO of the nonprofit that runs it, describes the new payments feature as an attempt to extend … Read More “Signal Adds Cryptocurrency Support” »
NASA made an oblique reference to a coded message in the color pattern of the Perseverance Mars Lander ‘s parachute. More information. Powered by WPeMatico
Mike Stay broke an old zipfile encryption algorithm to recover $300,000 in bitcoin. DefCon talk here. Powered by WPeMatico
Australia is reporting that a BlackBerry device has been cracked after five years: An encrypted BlackBerry device that was cracked five years after it was first seized by police is poised to be the key piece of evidence in one of the state’s longest-running drug importation investigations. In April, new technology “capabilities” allowed authorities to … Read More “BlackBerry Phone Cracked” »
Twitter was hacked this week. Not a few people’s Twitter accounts, but all of Twitter. Someone compromised the entire Twitter network, probably by stealing the log-in credentials of one of Twitter’s system administrators. Those are the people trusted to ensure that Twitter functions smoothly. The hacker used that access to send tweets from a variety … Read More “On the Twitter Hack” »
A four-rotor Enigma machine — with rotors — is up for auction. Powered by WPeMatico
Zoom is doing the right thing: it’s making end-to-end encryption available to all users, paid and unpaid. (This is a change; I wrote about the initial decision here.) …we have identified a path forward that balances the legitimate right of all users to privacy and the safety of users on our platform. This will enable … Read More “Zoom Will Be End-to-End Encrypted for All Users” »