Schneier on Security

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

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. From the report's conclusion: Government hacking is often lauded as a solution to the "going dark" problem.

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Security Affairs

JUNE 24, 2025

House has banned WhatsApp on government devices due to data security concerns. link] — Andy Stone (@andymstone) June 23, 2025 Stone noted WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted by default, providing stronger security than most apps on the CAO’s approved list, which lack this protection. ” continues the email.

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Schneier on Security

JANUARY 21, 2022

Key Findings: MY2022, an app mandated for use by all attendees of the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, has a simple but devastating flaw where encryption protecting users’ voice audio and file transfers can be trivially sidestepped. Citizen Lab examined the app and found it riddled with security holes.

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The Last Watchdog

SEPTEMBER 17, 2018

Should law enforcement and military officials have access to a digital backdoor enabling them to bypass any and all types of encryption that exist today? The disturbing thing is that in North America and Europe more and more arguments are being raised in support of creating and maintaining encryption backdoors for government use.

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Security Affairs

DECEMBER 16, 2024

Researchers warn of previously undetected surveillance spyware, named NoviSpy, that was found infecting a Serbian journalist’s phone. Then he requested help from Amnesty Internationals Security Lab fearing to be the target of surveillance software like other journalists in Serbia. ” reads the report published by Amnesty.

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Schneier on Security

JUNE 21, 2022

Both bills have provisions that could be used to break end-to-end encryption. 3(c)(7)(A)(iii) would allow a company to deny access to apps installed by users, where those app makers “have been identified [by the Federal Government] as national security, intelligence, or law enforcement risks.” Let’s start with S.

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Security Affairs

MARCH 21, 2025

The company exclusively sells exploits to the Russian government and local firms. Russian intelligence agencies could use these exploits for surveillance and espionage purposes. Given Telegrams end-to-end encryption and widespread use, an exploit that bypasses its security could be a game-changer for cyber espionage.

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Schneier on Security

OCTOBER 23, 2023

Susan Landau published an excellent essay on the current justification for the government breaking end-to-end-encryption: child sexual abuse and exploitation (CSAE). She puts the debate into historical context, discusses the problem of CSAE, and explains why breaking encryption isn’t the solution.

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Joseph Steinberg

OCTOBER 21, 2022

Today, October 21, marks the first ever organized Global Encryption Day, dedicated to spreading awareness of the importance of utilizing encryption to protect sensitive information, both when it is in transit (e.g., online chat messages going over the Internet between you and your significant other) and when it is at rest (e.g.,

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Schneier on Security

MAY 20, 2020

Bart Gellman's long-awaited (at least by me) book on Edward Snowden, Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State , will finally be published in a couple of weeks. It's an interesting read, mostly about the government surveillance of him and other journalists. There is an adapted excerpt in the Atlantic.

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Tech Republic Security

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

As reported by The Washington Post, Apple received notice of a possible request in March 2024, but the official ask occurred in January 2025.

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Malwarebytes

MAY 8, 2025

The purpose was to gain access to the messages on those devices, which were typically used by attorneys, journalists, human rights activists, political dissidents, diplomats, and other senior foreign government officials. However, the jury awarded Meta $444,719 in compensatory damages and $167,254,000 in punitive damages.

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Security Affairs

JANUARY 9, 2022

The US NCSC and the Department of State published joint guidance on defending against attacks using commercial surveillance tools. In the last years, we have reported several cases of companies selling commercial surveillance tools to governments and other entities that have used them for malicious purposes. Pierluigi Paganini.

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Schneier on Security

FEBRUARY 22, 2022

Government, in turn, must provide more timely and comprehensive threat information while simultaneously treating industry as a vital partner. Or the surveillance capitalists, for that matter. I’m not sure how he’s going to get them on board. A lot of what he wants will require reining in that particular business model.

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SecureWorld News

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

In a groundbreaking investigative report, the European Investigative Collaborations (EIC) media network, with technical assistance from Amnesty International's Security Lab, has exposed the shocking extent of the global surveillance crisis and the glaring inadequacies of EU regulation in curbing it. Chairman, Cedric Leighton Associates, LLC.

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SecureWorld News

FEBRUARY 11, 2025

A secret order issued by the United Kingdom's government is sparking global alarm among privacy advocates and cybersecurity experts. has directed Apple to create a backdoor into its encrypted iCloud backup service, a move that could have profound implications for digital privacy and security worldwide. users to comply with the order.

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Schneier on Security

JULY 29, 2019

Each of these images fails to convey anything about either the importance or the complexity of the topic­ -- or the huge stakes for governments, industry and ordinary people alike inherent in topics like encryption, surveillance and cyber conflict. I agree that this is a problem. It's not something I noticed until recently.

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Schneier on Security

JANUARY 18, 2019

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 susceptible to government eavesdropping. It doesn't affect the encryption that protects the communications. Sometimes it's about end-user devices.

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Security Affairs

DECEMBER 4, 2024

The government agencies released a guide that advises telecom and critical infrastructure defenders on best practices to strengthen network security against PRC-linked and other cyber threats. Strong segmentation with firewalls and DMZs, securing VPN gateways, and ensuring encrypted traffic with TLS v1.3 ” continues the advisory.

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Adam Levin

MAY 15, 2019

The vulnerability, discovered earlier this month, allowed third parties to see and intercept encrypted communications. The spyware deployed has been traced back to NSO Group, an Israeli cyber company alleged to have enabled Middle East governments to surveil its citizens.

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Webroot

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

The five core components of a VPN are: Encryption : The conversion of information into a coded format that can only be read by someone who has the decryption key. Split tunneling: Allows you to choose which internet traffic goes through the VPN (with encryption) and which goes directly to the internet. How do VPNs work?

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Security Affairs

MARCH 13, 2025

North Korea-linked threat actor ScarCruft (aka APT37 , Reaper, and Group123) is behind a previously undetected Android surveillance tool namedKoSpythat was used to target Korean and English-speaking users. Cyber attacks conducted by the APT37 group mainly targeted government, defense, military,and media organizations in South Korea.

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Security Affairs

JUNE 2, 2019

The popular privacy-focused email service ProtonMail has been accused of offering voluntarily real-time surveillance assistance to law enforcement. The popular privacy-focused email service ProtonMail made the headlines because it has been accused of supporting real-time surveillance carried out by law enforcement.

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Schneier on Security

APRIL 29, 2020

in 2018 beat back federal prosecutors seeking to wiretap its encrypted Messenger app. If the decision is unsealed, other tech companies will likely try to use its reasoning to ward off similar government requests in the future. This is interesting : Facebook Inc. Now the American Civil Liberties Union is seeking to find out how.

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SecureList

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

ScarCruft is known to target North Korean defectors, journalists who cover North Korea-related news and government organizations related to the Korean Peninsula, between others. The script compares the given encrypted string with a second string to get an index of matched characters. These log files contain the uploading history.

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Malwarebytes

MARCH 12, 2023

In fact, WhatsApp would rather cease serving UK users, which make up 2% of its global market, than weaken its end-to-end encryption (E2EE). At the moment, organizations cannot scan end-to-end encrypted messages. This also precedes state-mandated surveillance on a mass scale, with privacy and security risks affecting entire societies.

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Security Affairs

DECEMBER 7, 2024

. “The spyware bears many similarities to the Monokle family of spyware, previously reported on by Lookout Mobile Security , which they attribute to the Special Technology Center, a contractor to the Russian government.” These extended capabilities suggest that the malware aims for comprehensive surveillance of the target device.

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Schneier on Security

JANUARY 14, 2020

Because the companies that make the equipment are subservient to the Chinese government, they could be forced to include backdoors in the hardware or software to give Beijing remote access. Both criminal attacks and government cyber-operations will become more common and more damaging. But the enhancements aren't enough.

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Krebs on Security

OCTOBER 28, 2020

In August, Gunnebo said it had successfully thwarted a ransomware attack, but this week it emerged that the intruders stole and published online tens of thousands of sensitive documents — including schematics of client bank vaults and surveillance systems. He declined to comment on the particulars of the extortion incident.

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Zero Day

JUNE 17, 2025

"The company and its founder have worked with government spy agencies and surveillance industry contractors to surveil mobile phones and track user location," Bloomberg reported. Since SMS lacks the proper encryption, it has never been a safe and secure way to exchange authentication codes or other private information.

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Schneier on Security

MARCH 13, 2019

And if you read his 3,000-word post carefully, Zuckerberg says nothing about changing Facebook's surveillance capitalism business model. On the other hand, WhatsApp -- purchased by Facebook in 2014 -- provides users with end-to-end encrypted messaging. Better data security so Facebook sees less. How Facebook manages for privacy.

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Security Affairs

NOVEMBER 28, 2021

Nexa Technologies was indicted for complicity in acts of torture, the French firm is accused of having sold surveillance equipment to the Egypt. Nexa Technologies offers a range of solutions for homeland security, including surveillance solutions. “In short, Cerebro can suck up any data that is not encrypted.

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Graham Cluley

FEBRUARY 17, 2022

How is the UK Government trying to influence the public's opinion on end-to-end encryption? How does Microsoft hope to defeat the macro terror? And what is MoviePass hoping to do with your eyeballs?

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Security Affairs

FEBRUARY 2, 2020

The p opular ProtonMail end-to-end encrypted email service and ProtonVPN VPN service have been blocked by the Russian government this week. This week the Russian government has blocked the ProtonMail end-to-end encrypted email service and ProtonVPN VPN service. Pierluigi Paganini.

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Security Affairs

OCTOBER 24, 2019

The Sweden government is going to authorize the use of spyware on suspects’ devices to spy on their communications and track them. “ The police are given the opportunity to read encrypted communications. From March next year, it will be legal to intercept encrypted calls in mobiles, computers and video calls.”

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Schneier on Security

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

Sometime around 1993 or 1994, during the first Crypto Wars, I was part of a group of cryptography experts that went to Washington to advocate for strong encryption. Back then, he and Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy were the most knowledgeable on this issue and our biggest supporters against government backdoors. They still are.

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Security Affairs

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

Experts from Amnesty International uncovered a surveillance campaign that targeted Egyptian civil society organizations with a new version of FinSpy spyware. The mobile version of the surveillance software in the first stage of the infection leverages the exploits to get root access. ” reads the Amnesty’s report.

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