The news from Washington this week has encryption experts at TecSec and similar companies shaking their heads. Homeland Security and Counter-Terrorism advisor Lisa Monaco debuted a new agency -- The Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center -- to address the rising “scale, severity and impact” of cyberattacks. But without proper focus on much-needed encryption to stop … [Read more...]
The Little Black Book of Electronic Surveillance: 2015
In early February Insider will release The Little Black Book of Electronic Surveillance: 2015, the new and revised 2nd edition of the book that shook the marketplace. LBBES is the industry's most comprehensive guide to the biggest and most influential players in the industry, and has been expanded to include 200 companies. The book is available to members only. Who you'll … [Read more...]
Privacy International Hacked Via Drupal Backdoors
Just to end the week on an ironic note -- Privacy International, the self-styled anti-surveillance watchdog, has suffered a painful bite on its hindquarters: a major site hack due to backdoors in its Drupal content management system. PI's website is down, and has been in that condition for days. The usually (ahem) vigilant PI evidently missed the warning from Drupal in late … [Read more...]
Vupen Security: The “Golden Boys” of Malware
In the broader landscape of intrusive technology, where players are damned by the media, privacy advocates and occasionally court systems, one company remains above the fray and invariably comes off looking squeaky clean: Vupen Security, the “golden boys" of malware used by government agencies to combat terrorism. They may also be the very best in the business. Based in … [Read more...]
Supreme Court Cellphone Decision: Zero Effect on Legal Malware?
By yesterday afternoon, the U.S. law enforcement community was awash in news on the Supreme Court’s decision requiring a warrant to access a target’s cell phone data. Seems pretty clear cut, right? No warrant, no cell phone data. Well, it’s really not that simple. Big issues left unresolved: Whether the rule applies to any device with wireless capability, such as a laptop or … [Read more...]