Security News US, UK, and other governments asks tech companies to build backdoors into encrypted devices

[Venustus]

The US, UK, and three other governments have called on tech companies to build backdoors into their encrypted products, so that law enforcement will always be able to obtain access. If companies don’t, the governments say they “may pursue technological, enforcement, legislative, or other measures” in order to get into locked devices and services.
Their statement came out of a meeting last week between nations in the Five Eyes pact, an intelligence sharing agreement between the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The nations issued a statement covering a range of technology-related issues they face, but it was their remarks on encryption that stood out the most.
US, UK, and other governments asks tech companies to build backdoors into encrypted devices

 

[509322]

LOL.. I knew this was coming 10 years ago. Eventually, it will be a legal mandate that any encryption must contain a backdoor otherwise the encryption will be illegal. Once the encryption is illegal, it enables the government to invoke, deploy and utilize a whole range of means to the extent that it really makes little difference that there wasn't a backdoor in the first place. In short, the government will have its way. Not that they don't get their way now in the vast majority of cases of unbreakable encryption. However, a definition of illegal encryption will make the investigative and prosecutorial processes all the easier for them. It will eliminate legal system speed bumps, essentially.

 

[Deleted member 178]

I voted yes, just to laugh at all those privacy paranoids whining and go back to paper letter based secret messages LOL



itwt

 

[Local Host]

This will pretty much make the encryption useless in the first place, you have to be naïve to not believe those backdoors won't be leaked and used by black hats.

 

[upnorth]

Collectively, we are among the most generous countries on earth in terms of humanitarian aid and refugee resettlement.

Spoiler

Here's a bit more on the subject that might be interesting. Off-Topic - Cracking the Crypto War

 

[Local Host]

Spoiler

Here's a bit more on the subject that might be interesting. Off-Topic - Cracking the Crypto War

Is funny you quoted that, when all the listed countries have strict foreignier laws with almost no rights compared to the rest of the world.

 

[Jimbo791]

If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him.
Cardinal Richelieu 1585-1642

Strange how time change but stay the same

 

[upnorth]

Two new encryption algorithms developed by the NSA have been rejected by an international standards body amid accusations of threatening behavior. The "Simon" and "Speck" cryptographic tools were designed for secure data to and from the next generation of internet-of-things gizmos and sensors, and were intended to become a global standard. But the pair of techniques were formally rejected earlier this week by the International Organization of Standards (ISO) amid concerns that they contained a backdoor that would allow US spies to break the encryption. The process was also marred by complaints from encryption experts of threatening behavior from American snoops. The ISO's meetings are confidential and held behind closed doors, but a number of encryption experts have broken their silence now that the NSA's three-year effort to push has effectively been ended.

When some of the design choices made by the NSA were questioned by experts, Ashur states, the g-men's response was to personally attack the questioners, which included himself, Orr Dunkelman and Daniel Bernstein, who represented the Israeli and German delegations respectively.
Ashur further alleged that the NSA had plied the relevant ISO committee with "half-truths and full lies" in response to concerns, and said that if the American delegation had been "more trustworthy, or at least more cooperative, different alliances would have probably been formed." Instead, he says, "they chose to try to bully their way into the standards which almost worked but eventually backfired."

ISO blocks NSA's latest IoT encryption systems amid murky tales of backdoors and bullying

 

[Entreri]

Horrible idea. These backdoor will be targets for other nation states and criminal enterprises.

Greatest mass murderers in history, by a LARGE margin, the nation state. Do you think Mao, Stalin and Hitler did the killings themselves?

How many wars have been started because of a few rich men's desires? We had the oil wars recently.

Never trust the state, especially the Corporate Congress and Senate of the US.

What is a "crime" is VERY flexible and depends on time period, geography and Dear Leader in charge.
In Canada for instance, recreational marijuana just became legal (all these narcotics must be legalized, by supporting War on Drugs you are supporting the Cartels).

 

[jetman]

I agree with most of the above. The flip side of the argument is that encryption is used very successfully by terrorist organisations- some of which are very dangerous.

 

[upnorth]

To put it bluntly, this is reckless and shortsighted. I've repeatedly written about why this can't be done technically, and why trying results in insecurity. But there's a greater principle at first: we need to decide, as nations and as society, to put defense first. We need a "defense dominant" strategy for securing the Internet and everything attached to it. This is important. Our national security depends on the security of our technologies. Demanding that technology companies add backdoors to computers and communications systems puts us all at risk. We need to understand that these systems are too critical to our society and -- now that they can affect the world in a direct physical manner -- affect our lives and property as well.

Putting spy agencies in charge of this trade-off is wrong, and will result in bad decisions. Cory Doctorow has a good reaction.

Five-Eyes Intelligence Services Choose Surveillance Over Security - Schneier on Security

 

[fl00dz]

Have we not learned enough from leaked exploits already? EternalBlue? I agree that this will just be exploited and used by threat actors more than investigations.

 

[Michyon]

This is ludicrous. I am sick of the governments who are the 1% dictating what the 99% can do. There is more of us then there is of them. The sad part is there seems to be no movement to make them back off our basic rights, because most are too complacent. And imo breaking into encryption, or backdoors is a violation of the 1st amendment if you are in the USA. But hey, you can't put the cops into jail now can you? Tech companies need to give the finger and make that phone call.