Full disk encryption flaw could affect millions of Android users

When it comes to vulnerabilities and security, Google’s Android has never been in the good books of security experts or even its users to a great extent. Now, another vulnerability has surfaced that claims to leave millions of devices affected. Security expert Gal Beniamini has now revealed another flaw in Android encryption. According to the…

American ISIS Recruits Down, but Encryption Is Helping Terrorists’Online Efforts, Says FBI Director

The number of Americans traveling to the Middle East to fight alongside Islamic State has dropped, but the terrorist group’s efforts to radicalize people online is getting a major boost from encryption technology, FBI Director James Comey said Wednesday. Since August, just one American a month has traveled or attempted to travel to the Middle…

Encryption; Friend of Freedom, Guardian of Privacy

The issue of government access to private encrypted data has been in the public eye since the San Bernardino shootings in December, 2015. When an iPhone was found the FBI requested that Apple write code to override the phone’s security features. The FBI was ultimately able to decrypt the phone without Apple’s assistance. However, the…

The encryption challenge

IT managers know the movies get it wrong. A teenager with a laptop cannot crack multiple layers of encryption — unless that laptop is connected to a supercomputer somewhere and the teenager can afford to wait a few billion years. Encryption works. It works so well that even the government gets stymied, as demonstrated by…

Apple’s rivals wary of taking stand on encryption issue, against the FBI

As Apple resists the US government in a high profile stand-off over privacy, rival device makers are, for now, keeping a low profile. Most are Asian companies — the region produces eight of every 10 smartphones sold around the world — and operate in a complex legal, political and security landscape. Only China’s Huawei has…

Apple and FBI to testify before Congress next week over encryption

Over the past few days, Apple has made it abundantly clear that it will not comply with the FBI’s demand that it write a new piece of software to help bypass built-in iPhone security measures. On the contrary, Apple has said that it wants the FBI to withdraw all of its demands while adding that…

The Netherlands will not weaken encryption for security purposes

The Dutch government believes that confidence in secure communication and storage data is essential for the development of the Dutch economy. The Netherlands will not follow the trend of weakening encryption for security purposes, according to a statement by the Dutch Minister of Security and Justice. In contrast, with the United Kingdom where the Investigatory…

Paris attack stokes the flames in fight over US data encryption

Last week’s terrorist attack on Paris sounded a call to arms for hawkish U.S. officials seeking broad oversight of encrypted digital communications, some of whom used the opportunity to rekindle discussions with Silicon Valley technology companies. In an interview with MSNBC on Monday, Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) said Silicon Valley companies, particularly those marketing secure…

Your self-encrypting hard drive isn’t nearly as secure as you thought

If you want to keep your information away from hackers and snoops, whether it’s your Internet use, email, hard drive data or your backup, the best thing you can do is use encryption. Encryption scrambles your data and, in theory, the only way to unscramble it is to know the password. That’s why choosing a…