Spy agencies, US and UK, bypass encryption

Leaked documents show that the National security agency (N.S.A) has been working to gain backdoor access into all encryption technologies. Even your private emails are not secure, as intelligence agencies gain access to millions of people’s personal data.  The NSA have bypassed common encryption methods by stealing encryption keys through hacking into the servers, obtaining access through collaboration with tech companies, by inserting backdoors into encryption software, and service providers. They have also deliberately weakened encryption standards through their direct role in influencing the international standards upon which encryption systems rely.

The N.S.A has set up an operation ‘Bullrun’ which enables them to bypass encryption.  The New York Times reported that the N.S.A  are able to access ‘everyday emails to financial and medical records’.

The encryption methods targeted are regularly used for email, SSL, VPNs, HTTPS and security used for 4G smartphones.

Snowden states

“For the past decade, N.S.A. has led an aggressive, multipronged effort to break widely used Internet encryption technologies,”

“Cryptanalytic capabilities are now coming online. Vast amounts of encrypted Internet data which have up till now been discarded are now exploitable.”

The NSA as well as its UK counterpart (GCHQ) has compromised the guarantees that online companies have given consumers regarding the privacy of their online transactions, including online banking and medical records, the guarantee that communications would be indecipherable to criminals and governments.

GCHQ team has been working to develop ways into encrypted traffic on Hotmail, Google, Yahoo and Facebook

There is still optimism; all encryption technologies have not yet been cracked. This was confirmed by Snowden who said, Encryption works’, ‘properly implemented strong crypto systems are one of the few things that you can rely on’

 With Galaxkey these interceptions are not possible. Our software is designed with your privacy in mind and takes into account that third parties are trying to obtain the keys and for this reason no-one other than the user holds the keys.

 

Follow the links to ‘The Guardian’ and ‘The New York Times’ for a detailed account.

CNET

https://www.cnet.com/news/nsa-can-see-through-encryption-including-your-private-e-mails-says-report/

The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-gchq-encryption-codes-security

The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/us/nsa-foils-much-internet-encryption.html?hp&_r=1&