Encryption May Lower Fines Under New EU Privacy Regime
Companies can lower the risk of massive fines under the new European Union privacy regime by embracing encryption of personal data, privacy attorneys and data security professionals told Bloomberg BNA. The EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which takes effect in May 2018, instructs privacy regulators to consider whether data are encrypted in setting fines for data breaches, which can reach maximums of 20 million euros ($21.9 million) or 4 percent of a company’s glo
Ending Whatsapp Encryption to Stop Terrorism Would Make People ‘Less Safe’
Privacy advocates have criticized U.K. Home Secretary Amber Rudd after she called for security services to be able to access encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp in order to fight terrorism. Rudd said there must be “no place for terrorists to hide” following Wednesday’s attack in London that killed four people. Police believe the perpetrator had accessed WhatsApp two minutes before carrying out the attack. “We need to make sure that organizations like WhatsApp, and ther
What's new with encryption?
Though already widely used, encryption awareness will rise and grow stronger. When thinking about topics to cover for those who are new to security, opportunities abound. New threats emerge every day, along with new technologies to help combat those threats. Everyone is itching to know what they need to do to defend the crown jewels, which in itself is a new concept in cybersecurity. Even though there is nothing 'new' about encryption--it remains a vital tool in terms of secu
Oh, for F...acebook: WhatsApp, critics spar over alleged 'backdoor'
Don't panic, there's nothing to fear, insists green messenger. WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption can be potentially exploited by determined snoops to intercept and read encrypted messages, it was claimed today. Essentially, if an attacker can reroute a redelivered encrypted message, it is possible to decrypt the text. Facebook-owned WhatsApp stresses this is not a serious flaw nor a deliberate backdoor in its code. Users can detect and stop the surveillance, if it happens, by
WhatsApp backdoor: "A huge threat to freedom of speech"
A reported 'backdoor' in WhatsApp could undermine the security of private messages. WhatsApp has a backdoor that could allow Facebook to intercept and read encrypted messages, it is claimed. According to a report in The Guardian, the way WhatsApp has implemented its end-to-end encryption protocol makes it possible for the company to access private messages, at least in theory. As the report explains, WhatsApp's encryption "relies on the generation of unique security keys", cr
Facebook under fire for WhatsApp security backdoor
A security researcher has discovered a vulnerability in the way WhatsApp implements encryption, raising concerns that it will be exploited by governments to spy on users. Facebook has come under fire for a serious vulnerability in WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption system, which puts users under the risk of surveillance. The criticism and warning comes after a security researcher has found a security backdoor in the Facebook-owned WhatsApp messaging service that could provide a
How Can We Convert More Customers to Paperless Billing?
Ask anyone on the street, and they’ll probably tell you that using electronic, or paperless, billing and statements is a good thing. When introduced more than a decade ago, paperless billing was touted as an environmental savior. More than an estimated 500 billion bills are sent annually and the rate is increasing by 2-3 percent a year, according to research group Billentis, so the problem is only going to get worse. Overall, companies need to provide more options across the
IP Bill: Tech Firms Attempt to Offer Respite from Surveillance
Now that the Investigatory Powers Bill has been passed, tech firms are looking for ways to offer customers ways to circumvent the spying associated with the law. Now that the Investigatory Powers Bill has been passed, tech firms are looking for ways to offer customers ways to circumvent the spying associated with the law. The Investigatory Powers Bill was approved by the House of Lords on 19 November and is expected to become law before the end of 2016. Parts of the law, mand
Investigatory Powers Bill one step closer to becoming law
The Investigatory Powers Bill has passed its third reading in the House of Lords. The House of Lords did suggest some amendments to the bill, which means the bill will be thrown back to the House of Commons for a final 'look over', and is expected to become law by the end of 2016. The Investigatory Powers Bill (IP Bill) has passed its third reading in the House of Lords. The 300 page document has completed its Parliamentary process, and is expected to become law by the end of
Artificial Intelligence Creates its Own Encryption
Researchers from Google's Brain division have released an academic paper which details how they were able to get neural networks to create their own encryption standard, and communicate between each other. Google's Brain researchers have released a paper named “Learning to protect communications with adversarial neural cryptography” which has detailed how, when tasked, its AI technology has been able to create its own cryptography standard. Jacob Ginsberg, senior director at
