Yahoo to implement end-to-end email encryption some time in 2015

Yahoo's Chief Information Security Officer Alex Stamos told Black Hat attendees last week that the company would be rolling out end-to-end encryption for email some time in 2015. The search company is taking a similar approach to Google to tackle enhanced security issues for communications, even down to the details of using OpenPGP.

The news was tweeted from the conference by Yan Zhu, a former employee of the Electronic Frontier Foundation known for working on Privacy Badger, who was one of the first hires by Yahoo for its privacy engineering team. The Yahoo encryption appears not only to be similar to what Google is planning with its Chrome extension, but a fork of the project.

It appears that Yahoo will be requesting the aid of the community to help improve the service later on, as Stamos stated that the code will be released in the fall. The goal is to have security minded users help improve the experience as well as locate bugs. A Yahoo spokeswoman told CNet that the no other providers were on board so far, but because of the open nature Yahoo hopes others will adopt it.

Yahoo announced last year that it would be it encrypting all transmissions through data center links as a way to prevent information from being accessed by outside parties, including government agencies like the National Security Agency. The company also stated that it would put 2048-bit SSL encryption into place for Yahoo Mail users by January this year, but later added it would extend to all Yahoo products.

By adding Yahoo to the likes of Google, the movement for the use of encryption for everyday users could gain more traction. For many, end-to-end encryption through Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) can be considered too complex to use. However, the complications come from ease of use, as well as proper education. In a time where some companies are struggling to implement any form of mail encryption in transit, the move is a welcome one by Yahoo.

By Electronista Staff

Read more here:
Yahoo to implement end-to-end email encryption some time in 2015