Category: lawenforcement

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Evaluating the GCHQ Exceptional Access Proposal

Posted on By infossl
backdoors, computersecurity, crime, cryptowars, eavesdropping, essays, gchq, lawenforcement, Security technology, vulnerabilities

The so-called Crypto Wars have been going on for 25 years now. Basically, the FBI — and some of their peer agencies in the UK, Australia, and elsewhere — argue that the pervasive use of civilian encryption is hampering their ability to solve crimes and that they need the tech companies to make their systems … Read More “Evaluating the GCHQ Exceptional Access Proposal” »

Security Vulnerabilities in Cell Phone Systems

Posted on By infossl
cellphones, eavesdropping, economicsofsecurity, lawenforcement, nationalsecuritypolicy, Security technology, securityengineering, vulnerabilities

Good essay on the inherent vulnerabilities in the cell phone standards and the market barriers to fixing them. So far, industry and policymakers have largely dragged their feet when it comes to blocking cell-site simulators and SS7 attacks. Senator Ron Wyden, one of the few lawmakers vocal about this issue, sent a letter in August … Read More “Security Vulnerabilities in Cell Phone Systems” »

Detecting Credit Card Skimmers

Posted on By infossl
academicpapers, creditcards, lawenforcement, Security technology, skimmers

Interesting research paper: “Fear the Reaper: Characterization and Fast Detection of Card Skimmers“: Abstract: Payment card fraud results in billions of dollars in losses annually. Adversaries increasingly acquire card data using skimmers, which are attached to legitimate payment devices including point of sale terminals, gas pumps, and ATMs. Detecting such devices can be difficult, and … Read More “Detecting Credit Card Skimmers” »

More on the Five Eyes Statement on Encryption and Backdoors

Posted on By infossl
backdoors, cryptography, cryptowars, encryption, intelligence, lawenforcement, privacy, Security technology

Earlier this month, I wrote about a statement by the Five Eyes countries about encryption and back doors. (Short summary: they like them.) One of the weird things about the statement is that it was clearly written from a law-enforcement perspective, though we normally think of the Five Eyes as a consortium of intelligence agencies. … Read More “More on the Five Eyes Statement on Encryption and Backdoors” »

Security Risks of Government Hacking

Posted on By infossl
backdoors, hacking, lawenforcement, nationalsecuritypolicy, Security technology

Some of us — myself included — have proposed lawful government hacking as an alternative to backdoors. A new report from the Center of Internet and Society looks at the security risks of allowing government hacking. They include: Disincentive for vulnerability disclosure Cultivation of a market for surveillance tools Attackers co-opt hacking tools over which … Read More “Security Risks of Government Hacking” »

New Report on Police Digital Forensics Techniques

Posted on By infossl
backdoors, fbi, forensics, lawenforcement, police, reports, Security technology

According to a new CSIS report, “going dark” is not the most pressing problem facing law enforcement in the age of digital data: Over the past year, we conducted a series of interviews with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, attorneys, service providers, and civil society groups. We also commissioned a survey of law … Read More “New Report on Police Digital Forensics Techniques” »

Accessing Cell Phone Location Information

Posted on By infossl
cellphones, lawenforcement, privacy, searches, Security technology, surveillance, tracking

The New York Times is reporting about a company called Securus Technologies that gives police the ability to track cell phone locations without a warrant: The service can find the whereabouts of almost any cellphone in the country within seconds. It does this by going through a system typically used by marketers and other companies … Read More “Accessing Cell Phone Location Information” »

Virginia Beach Police Want Encrypted Radios

Posted on By infossl
backdoors, encryption, lawenforcement, police, Security technology

This article says that the Virginia Beach police are looking to buy encrypted radios. Virginia Beach police believe encryption will prevent criminals from listening to police communications. They said officer safety would increase and citizens would be better protected. Someone should ask them if they want those radios to have a backdoor. Powered by WPeMatico

Ray Ozzie’s Encryption Backdoor

Posted on By infossl
backdoors, cryptography, cryptowars, encryption, keyescrow, lawenforcement, Security technology, securityengineering

Last month, Wired published a long article about Ray Ozzie and his supposed new scheme for adding a backdoor in encrypted devices. It’s a weird article. It paints Ozzie’s proposal as something that “attains the impossible” and “satisfies both law enforcement and privacy purists,” when (1) it’s barely a proposal, and (2) it’s essentially the … Read More “Ray Ozzie’s Encryption Backdoor” »