HBO #39;s John Oliver Interviews Edward Snowden
Despite maintaining a low profile in Russia, famed NSA leaker Edward Snowden granted a part-serious, part-humorous interview to HBO #39;s John Oliver that aired Sunday on HBO #39;s "Last Week Tonight.".
By: Associated Press
Excerpt from:
HBO's John Oliver Interviews Edward Snowden - Video
Artists Snuck Edward Snowden Statue Into Brooklyn War Memorial
"The three artists, who are not revealing their identities, lugged the statue of Snowden to Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn before the sun rose. They then attached it to the Prison Ship Martyrs...
By: The Young Turks
Read more:
Artists Snuck Edward Snowden Statue Into Brooklyn War Memorial - Video
Yesterday in a Brooklyn park, anonymous artists erected a large bust of Edward Snowden, who leaked National Security Agency documents. Animal New York has details:
"While most people slept, a trio of artists and some helpers installed a bust of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden in Brooklyn on Monday morning. The group, which allowed ANIMAL to exclusively document the installation on the condition that we hide their identities, hauled the 100-pound sculpture into Fort Greene Park and up its hilly terrain just before dawn. They fused it to part of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, a memorial to Revolutionary War soldiers."
The bust was four feet tall and closely matched the existing column on which it was placed. The word "Snowden" was also placed at the base of the column.
Officials removed the figure later in the day, after placing a blue tarp over the rendering of Snowden's face. A spokesperson for the New York Parks Department told Mashable, "Parks and NYPD have removed the sculpture. The erection of any unapproved structure or artwork in a city park is illegal."
But Snowden's image would soon return. On Monday night, the bust was replaced with what The Illuminator Art Collective calls an Edward Snowden hologram.
An art collective installed an Edward Snowden projection in a Brooklyn park Monday night, after a bust of Snowden was removed by authorities park earlier that day. Kyle Depew/The Illuminator Art Collective hide caption
NPR spoke with three members of the collective, and they said their decision to replace the sculpture was a bit spontaneous. They had actually gone to the park to see the sculpture, but got there too late. "We biked over to check it out, and by the time we got there, the sculpture had been wrapped in blue tarp by the NYPD, and then it was swiftly removed," said Kyle Depew, a member of the collective. "We were never actually able to see the bust with our own eyes. We were inspired to do what we do best, which is light projection to pay tribute to the work that these anonymous artists had done in creating the sculpture and to further the conversation, to further the story and the discussion about Edward Snowden."
Grayson Earle, another member of the group, says the purpose of the projection was to get photographic proof of it, not to have it up for any extended period of time.
The group first projected Snowden's image onto a leafless tree, and then projected an image on top of the same column the Snowden bust sat on earlier that day. "Emily Andersen and I threw ashes into the air which were sort of caught by the wind, and then we projected into that field to get that hologram effect," says Earle. The group says the image was visible for about 10 to 20 minutes.
"We hope that other artists will piggyback on this, and that other artists will be inspired to do other creative actions and further this conversation." Grayson says. "To me it's about, if someone removes the statue, that the idea and the conversation can still take place, even though that material structure is gone," Grayson said. "We just want people to know the spirit of Edward Snowden is alive and well if we want it to be."
See the original post here:
An Edward Snowden Statue Was Replaced By Another Snowden ...
A group of guerrilla artists' lofty, albeit controversial, goal of enshrining whistle-blower Edward Snowden among the ranks ofAmerican heroes was thwarted on Monday as New York City Department of Parks & Recreation officials promptly removed a bust of Mr. Snowden that the artists had installed atop a war memorial in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The group of artists, whose identities have not been confirmed, had fastened a custom-made bust of the former National Security Agency contractor to part of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument, a memorial to Revolutionary War soldiers. The parks department quickly covered the unsanctioned bust with a tarp and removed it shortly thereafter.
But while the dance of discord played out by the activist artists and park officials may haveamused local spectators, it is representative of a divide within American society: the split between those who view Snowden as a national hero and those who believe he is a traitor.
According to a January 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center, while public opinion is divided over whether the Snowden leaks served the public interest, most young Americans are supportive of Snowden.
57% of 18- to 29-year olds said the leaks haveservedrather than harmed the public interest .... These youngest adults were the only age group without majority support for prosecuting Snowden they split 42%-42% on whether the former NSA contractor should be tried,Drew DeSilver wrote for Pew.
The Snowden case has been polarizing since the beginning. In 2013, Snowdens leaks, originally reported by former Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, exposed an extensive, covert surveillance program that spied on US citizens, residents, and foreigners alike. But while some painted Snowden as a hero dedicated to transparency, others labeled him a national traitor.
"For society to function well, there have to be basic levels of trust and cooperation, a respect for institutions and deference to common procedures,"David Brookswrote in The New York Timesin 2013. "By deciding to unilaterally leak secret N.S.A. documents, Snowden has betrayed all of these things."
The artists disagree.
Fort Greenes Prison Ship Martyrs Monument is a memorial to American POWs who lost their lives during the Revolutionary War. We have updated this monument to highlight those who sacrifice their safety in the fight against modern-day tyrannies. It would be a dishonor to those memorialized here to not laud those who protect the ideals they fought for, as Edward Snowden has by bringing the NSAs 4th-Amendment-violating surveillance programs to light. All too often, figures who strive to uphold these ideals have been cast as criminals rather than in bronze,theywrote in a statementpublished by the New York-based online news publication Animal.
Meanwhile, some argue that rather than just demonstrating support for Snowden, the bust would help raise awareness about the issue of surveillance, as most Americans dont even know who Snowden is.
Read this article:
Snowden statue points to divide in US society: Is he hero or traitor? (+video)
Artists installed this bust of Edward Snowden at the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Brooklyn on Apr. 6, 2015. Aymann Ismail/Animal New York
NEW YORK -- A monument has grown in Brooklyn.
CBS News New York reports that photos and video posted on AnimalNewYork.com show a massive bust of Edward Snowden has been illicitly erected on one of the four columns of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene.
According to the report, the sculpture weighs 100 pounds and was attached in a way that will make it easy to remove.
According to the report, the artists called the bust "Prison Ship Martyrs Monument 2.0."
"It would be a dishonor to those memorialized here to not laud those who protect the ideals they fought for, as Edward Snowden has by bringing the NSA's 4th-Amendment-violating surveillance programs to light," the artists behind the installation told Animal New York. "All too often, figures who strive to uphold these ideals have been cast as criminals rather than in bronze."
The bust is made of a plaster-like substance called hydrocal. It took about six months and thousands of dollars to produce the bust, according to the report.
"We look at this as a gift to the city, but, you know, gifts are sometimes not accepted," one artist says in a video about the project.
The installation also includes Snowden's name at the base of the column.
The original Prison Ship's Martyrs Monument commemorates more than 11,500 men and women who died as captives aboard British prison ships during the Revolutionary War.
Read the original:
Edward Snowden bust illicitly mounted at NYC war monument
Download ActiveX PGP Encryption/Decryption DLL
Download ActiveX PGP Encryption/Decryption DLL Download link: http://bit.ly/1Im3KUe Integrate enterprise quality PGP methods into your application. Download and install easily, with detailed...
By: Amanda Gunnell
Read the original post:
Download ActiveX PGP Encryption/Decryption DLL - Video
In the wake of the revelations that intelligence agencies have been engaged in mass surveillance activities, both industry and society at large are looking for practicable encryption solutions that protect businesses and individuals. Previous technologies have failed in practice because they were too expensive or not user friendly enough. Fraunhofer has launched an open initiative called "Volksverschlsselung" with the aim of bringing end-to-end encryption to the masses. Fraunhofer researchers will be presenting a prototype of their easy-to-use software and the infrastructure concept behind it at CeBIT 2015 .
Encryption is the most effective antidote to unwarranted, mass surveillance of people, companies and authorities. Although there are any number of computer programs designed to, say, make e-mail communication more secure, most people find them to be too much of a hassle. This is why the German government made establishing universal and easy-to-use encryption part of its Digital Agenda. A research team from the Fraunhofer Institute for Secure Information Technology SIT in Darmstadt developed a public encryption concept that factors in user friendliness from the outset. The software automatically installs the cryptographic keys in the right places on your computer. The researchers are also working on an infrastructure that will be available to everyone and is compatible with existing encryption services.
"With this initiative and what it's developing, Fraunhofer is supporting the German government's efforts to better protect people and companies," says Prof. Michael Waidner, Head of Fraunhofer SIT. This is why "Volksverschlsselung" is to be made available as open-source software.
Key allocation for beginners
The software is the centerpiece of the solution. It relieves the user of the previously difficult task of allocating keys by recognizing which applications -- different e-mail programs, for example -- on your computer, smartphone or tablet can use cryptography and automatically allocates the right key to each one. The software also generates cryptographic keys that can be used to encrypt e-mails or files.
If you want to send someone an encrypted e-mail, you need the public key. In the "Volksverschlsselung" model, you can obtain this from the central infrastructure. "It works like a phone book," says project manager Michael Herfert. "Anyone can look up and download public keys. The central infrastructure also ensures that the keys actually belong to the person requesting them and helps prevent identity fraud." At CeBIT 2015, Fraunhofer researchers will demonstrate how people can register using the eID function of the German identity card. Other ways of registering are to be made possible in the future. To make it possible for a vast number of people to use the "Volksverschlsselung" infrastructure, it would ideally have to be set up to handle several million keys. This calls for an infrastructure that is as efficient as it is secure. The current plan is to install the infrastructure on a high-security server at the Fraunhofer Institute Center in Birlinghoven near Bonn, and other trusted partners will also be able to participate soon.
Companies also stand to benefit from the results of the "Volksverschlsselung" project -- especially from the software. Solutions developed as part of the project could help small and medium-sized enterprises in particular by making it easier for them to implement encryption and thus better protect trade secrets.
The researchers will be presenting a prototype of the software at CeBIT 2015 in Hannover from March 16 to 20. This version of the software is designed for Windows desktop computers, but further versions for other operating systems and mobile devices are in the pipeline. The research team is also working on various add-ons, including one that supports ad hoc encryption.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Read the original here:
Encryption for everyone
In Silicon Valley, the recruiting game is extremely competitive, according to Ron Harrison, founder of Jivaro Professional Headhunters, a specialist in placing technology candidates.
In some cases, Harrison said the difference between getting nothing and a US$30,000 fee has come down to the few slim minutes between when one recruiter sent a resume to a company and a competing recruiter did.
Its a dirty business, Harrison said in a phone interview.
Recruiting is complicated by the fact that companies may share resumes, even if the receiving company isnt a client of the recruiter. Essentially, it means a recruiter loses its intellectual property through a gaping hole: an unencrypted document can be sent to anyone.
But Harrisons company is one of 10 trying software from a startup named Vera that aims to lock down documents transferred over email or other file-sharing services such as Box or Dropbox.
Cofounder Ajay Arora said Vera addresses a common enterprise problem: once a document leaves a companys network, its just out there for anyone to see who receives itor intercepts it.
While there is a lot of software out there that tackles this problem, Arora said he wanted to create a product that is very easy to use and doesnt interrupt the workflow of employees. Harrison, for example, said he was up and running in a few minutes with Vera, and it was easy for his employees to use.
With a right click on a file, a set of policies can be attached to, for example, a resume. The resume is encrypted, with the decryption key passed only to the authorized recipient, who doesnt have to install Veras software.
The document wont open if it is forwarded to someone else. It can also be time-bombed, or locked up after a predetermined amount of time, or blocked from being printed. Copy-and-pasting can also be stopped.
Vera uses AES 256-bit encryption to scramble a file, and then puts a metadata wrapper around it that contains the policies attached to it. The metadata wrapper phones back to Veras servers to make sure the authorized recipient is opening it, and then a symmetric key is securely transferred from Veras servers to the recipient to decrypt it, Arora said.
Excerpt from:
Encryption startup Vera locks down transferred documents
Summary:The latest Firefox browser update has created a web encryption security hole for hackers to exploit.
Mozilla's Firefox has received a new update to patch a web encryption flaw which could allow malicious websites to bypass certificate verification checks.
Last week, Mozilla introduced Firefox 37.0, which included support for HTTP/2, an Internet standard which allows for web connections to be encrypted even when HTTPS is not supported. One feature is HTTP Alternative Services -- otherwise known as Alt-Svc -- which forces end-to-end encryption between pages through redirection protocols.
Alt-Svc communicates with your PC or mobile device, offering an alternative way to access a web page. Instructions then can be sent in order to perform "opportunistic encryption," which forces through basic encryption protocols when visiting a website. It is not as secure as HTTPS, but is certainly an improvement on today's HTTP, which is the most commonly used communication channel on the Internet.
Unfortunately, while the latest Firefox update was designed to improve basic security, it also introduced a new, critical bug which allowed a researcher to find a way to bypass certificate verification if a web server redirected visitors through the HTTP/2 system.
In a basic security advisory provided by the Mozilla Foundation, the security flaw was deemed "critical." The bug, exploited through the HTTP/2 Alt-Svc header -- within Mozilla's Alternative Services implementation -- allowed for SSL certification verification to be bypassed.
As a result, invalid SSL certificate warnings would not be displayed and a hacker could potentially use a man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack to impersonate legitimate websites with the overall aim of luring victims to malicious pages, which could then be used to steal data or deliver malware payloads.
Cyberattackers could, for example, hijack the connection which looks legitimate thanks to Alt-Svc and send a victim to a phishing site masquerading as their bank, and users may not find anything amiss -- as invalid certificate warnings would not be displayed.
As reported by the Sophos Naked Security team, the bug was rapidly discovered and fixed. The team also noted that HTTP/2 isn't yet finalized and is not widely used. However, it is on its way to adoption through support by web servers including Apache, Nginx and Microsoft's IIS (Internet Information Servers) in Windows 10 Preview.
Go here to see the original:
Mozilla pushes out fix for Firefox opportunistic encryption flaw
DUBLIN, Apr. 08, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --Research and Markets
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/kcd8bk/global_encryption) has announced the addition of the "Global Encryption Software Market 2015-2019" report to their offering.
The Global Encryption Software market to grow at a CAGR of 17.36% over the period 2014-2019
Encryption is a technique that secures data by converting plain text into a cipher format during transmission through the internet. The process uses mathematical algorithms that convert the information into an undecipherable format that can only be accessed using a secret code. The strength of an encryption code is measured by its length, which is determined by the number of bits used, as it is directly proportional to the number of possible codes or combinations. Though the primary goal of an encryption software is to encrypt and decrypt data, it also includes features such as shredding.
One key trend upcoming in this market is increased adoption of the BYOD policy. Most enterprises in developing countries and SMEs cannot afford expensive on-premises encryption software solutions. Hence, they are adopting BYOD solutions, which can manage their business operations and provide secure access to data from any place with less capital investment.
According to the report, increase in the number of data breaches is a key driver of the market. Organizations are increasingly focusing on securing critical data and improving customer satisfaction. Encryption software provides organizations with various regulations that help to reduce the number of breaches, driving the demand for encryption software solutions.
Further, the report states that one major challenge in the market is the complexity of encryption. For encryption, algorithms convert data into an encoded format. However, different types of encryption use different amounts of space to store data, and managing with less space in less time can become complex with the increasing demand for encryption solutions. Regulatory restrictions are also hindering the growth of the market.
This report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the Global Encryption Software market for the period 2015-2019. To calculate the market size, the report considers revenue generated from encryption software, solutions, tools, applications, services, support, and maintenance.
The report also presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the six major vendors in the market. It provides a geographical segmentation of the market for 2014 and details of the major drivers, challenges, and trends in the market. It also provides a segmentation based on data usage, applications, and end-users in the market. Key Vendors
Other Prominent Vendors
Read the original:
Global Encryption Software Market 2015-2019 - Increased Adoption of BYOD with Check Point Software Technologies, Cisco ...