The possibility that there is a backdoor in one of the officially recommended random number generators (RNGs) used to create encryption keys, has caused two well-known encryption experts to declare the scheme to be useless.
A new "unbreakable" encryption method will be keep votes safe for citizens in the Swiss canton (state) of Geneva in the country's upcoming national elections, officials said Thursday.
The city-state will use quantum technology to encrypt election results as they are sent to the capital on Oct. 21, said Nicolas Gisin of the University of Geneva.
The idea of tapping fiber optic cables aren't new but I was surprised to find out how easy and cheap it was to do from this article. Apparently you can do with less than $1000 of equipment.
The funny thing about it is that I can clearly remember when I did my bachelors degree, lecturers always stress on how secure fibre optics is and that it cannot be tapped like copper wires. This perception sends out a totally wrong message and people tend to forget about the physical security of fibre optics unlike the copper wires. Thus under the wrong assumption, they pay less attention to secure the information sent over fiber channels with encryption.
This articles shows how easy it is to do and also suggests the use of encryption or a fiber intrusion detection device. One particular Fiber Optic IDS stated in the whitepaper is the INTERCEPTOR.
Article: Protect your network against fiber hacks
Whitepaper: Fiber Optic Intrusion Dete ction Systems
This is an interesting article about e-passports and buffer overflows in e-passport readers.
I think since there are some countries introducing e-passports (Maldives issued its first e-passport to the president and first lady on July 26 this year) it is important to be aware of the security issues involved in them.
There have been a number of security issues (including hacks that were demonstrated to the public) involving e-passports especially in the EU and USA. Some articles talk about how people can actually read the information stored on these RFID chips from a distance without the knowledge of the owner. So imagine someone being able to steal your biometric information such as facial or fingerprint information and store it on his own e-passport and... Well you get the idea!
Original Article: Wired - Scan This Guy's E-Passport and Watch Your System Crash
Did you know that there are over 20 Windows Vista features and services secretly collecting your personal information and transmitting to Microsoft? Well it's true. Microsoft is not denying it and the users have no choice.
If you read between the EULA lines, you will find that Windows Vista provides Internet based services where Microsoft reserves full control to alter or cancel at any given time. These services can share and transmit the users' information without any notification. In fact the EULA has the following quote:
"By using these features, you consent to the transmission of this information. Microsoft does not use the information to identify or contact you."
