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AIDING THE ENEMY? Snowden leaks help ISIS evade US, report says

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Published September 05, 2014

June 5, 2014: Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden participates in a conversation via video with John Perry Barlow, co-founder and vice chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation at the 2014 Personal Democracy Forum at New York University in New York.AP

The former deputy director of the National Security Agency says Islamic State militants are using the top-secret data leaked by former contractor Edward Snowden to evade U.S. intelligence.

Chris Inglis, who held the post when Snowden began leaking a flood of documents to the news media last year, told The Washington Times that the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has "clearly" studied Snowden's documents and taken action.

Snowden went way beyond disclosing things that bore on privacy concerns, said Inglis, who retired in January. Having disclosed all of those methods, or at least some degree of those methods, it would be impossible to imagine that, as intelligent as they are in the use of technology, in the employment of communications for their own purposes, its impossible to imagine that they wouldnt understand how they might be at risk to intelligence services around the world, not the least of which is the U.S.

"And they necessarily do what they think is in their best interest to defend themselves, he told the paper.

Some of the documents turned over by Snowden provided precise details on how the U.S. tracks an Al Qaeda operative.

According to the Times, some officials argue that ISIS operatives reading the series of Snowden documents and news stories know what types of communication to avoid or how to make them more secure.

Click here to read more from The Washington Times.

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AIDING THE ENEMY? Snowden leaks help ISIS evade US, report says

The intricacies of Bring Your Own Encryption (BYOE)

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2014 has been the year of Bring Your Own Encryption

This years steady drumbeat of major data breaches, Snowden disclosures, and other cyber-attacks are causing all sorts of businesses to look well beyond compliance requirements to what it will take to protect themselves and their customers from additional risks.As such, Bring-Your-Own-Encryption (BYOE) looks like a very strong trend cloud providers want an increasing amount of flexibility around implementing encryption and, at the very least, want the ability to enable their customers to maintain control of their own encryption keys.

The main drivers for BYOE

Before we look at the challenges and opportunities that BYOE affords cloud hosting providers, it is important to understand the main drivers for the heightened level of security (and reduced risk) that go with BYOE. These are: compliance with standards, risk of breaches, protection of intellectual property (IP), and, lastly, contractual requirements. In the first instance, any organisation that has compliance requirements such as PCI DSS will need to fully meet those requirements and ensure a segregation of roles by user type, or provide for what are called 'compensating controls' if allowed.Secondly, increasing reports of cyber-attacks, along with governments around the globe introducing harsher penalties for loss of personal information add further weight to the arguments for the encryption of cloud data.

> See also: Keys to the castle: encryption in the cloud

Organisations with critical information, the loss of which could fundamentally damage their business typically aerospace, defence, financial or manufacturing need the strongest data assurance solutions available. But, these solutions must not impede their ability to take advantage of the scalability and flexibility that the cloud model brings. For cloud providers whose customers are in one of the areas mentioned above, it is not unusual to be required to encrypt data to the same standards as that customer applies to their own data. Indeed, this stipulation is frequently passed through as a contractual requirement for doing business.

How it works

To understand how BYOE works, there are two typical implementation scenarios to consider from an end user perspective, the first is for the end user to manage their encryption keys within the cloud environment, and the second is managing encryption keys away from the cloud providers premises inthe end users own data centre or other environment.

In both cases, the cloud provider does not usually manage the keys or set the encryption and access policies, which means there is less possibility that a compromise of the cloud providers architecture or physical infrastructure by a third party could compromise data.That said, a compromise of a cloud providers account might be leveraged to access the key and policy management environment, and then used to get access to data.

> See also: Google adds encryption to its cloud storage service

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The intricacies of Bring Your Own Encryption (BYOE)

Super-secure quantum-based data encryption for everyone

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With a new device set to make unbreakable, quantum-based cryptographic security available for everyone for the very first time, ordinary people will be able to use cryptographic systems that until recently only existed as experiments in the most advanced physics laboratories.

Using technology developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and incorporating the quantum mechanics of random photon polarization, the new device generates random numbers and creates cryptographic keys so fast and so securely that the technology is said to revolutionize high-speed cryptography and offer a completely new commercial platform for real-time encryption at high data rates.

This claimed breakthrough is made possible by taking advantage of the various spin states of photons. In line with quantum wave theory, a photon exists in all spin states at once. However, if a photon is passed through a polarizing filter that rejects given spin states, the photon can be made to exhibit just one of four possible states of spin vertical, horizontal, left, or right.

In this way, random filters may be applied to photons, which in turn, represent ones or zeroes of binary data, dependent on the state of spin selected and the binary notation attributed to it.

However, in accordance with Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, once the photon is polarized we can not then accurately measure it again, unless we apply a filter to it at the end of its journey just like the one it went through at the start to measure its spin state. This means that provided you know the filter sequence required to decode the incoming photon stream only the receiver can then read off the encoded data.

More importantly, anyone attempting to intercept the resulting data stream cannot eavesdrop on the transmission because any attempted observation of a quantum system also alters it, and the quantum state changes resulting from attempted unauthorized reading would be immediately detected.

LANL has partnered with Whitewood Encryption Systems to market this device which, when released, may well effectively render any other conventional random number generation system system obsolete. Current systems based on mathematical formulas that can be broken by a computer with sufficient speed and power will not be able to compete with a system that is built on a truly random system that cannot be second-guessed.

"Quantum systems represent the best hope for truly secure data encryption because they store or transmit information in ways that are unbreakable by conventional cryptographic methods," said Duncan McBranch, Chief Technology Officer at LANL. "This licensing agreement with Whitewood Encryption Systems, Inc. is historic in that it takes our groundbreaking technical work that was developed over two decades into commercial encryption applications."

Purported to be simple and small enough to be made into a USB key drive or similarly-sized unit, the LANL device is also claimed to be exceptionally inexpensive to manufacture, meaning that quantum-based random photon polarization encryption could be made available to anyone. Personal data transmission security would then become cheap, pervasive, and ubiquitous.

But more than this, if this device is successfully brought to market and implemented on a worldwide scale, quantum key distribution technology could one day guarantee truly secure commerce, banking, communications, and data transfer on an unprecedented scale.

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Super-secure quantum-based data encryption for everyone

Debunking the top open source myths

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Many IT executives choose open source over proprietary software, but some remain skeptical.

Today many IT executives choose open source over proprietary software for everything from cloud computing to facilitating teamwork among remote workers. Open source increases security and privacy, encourages an engaged community and offers the ability to "look under the hood" to diagnose and resolve issues quickly.

Gartner predicts that by 2016 99% of Global 2000 enterprises will use open source in mission-critical software. As analyst Andrea Di Maio noted in a recent blog, open source is even becoming increasingly popular with governments as they look for new methods to reduce spending and increase efficiency.

But some organizations are still skeptical, and most of their concerns stem from long held misconceptions. Here we debunk the three major open source myths:

* Open source myth #1: Open source isn't secure. Before the digital business era, the ability to personally interact with a brand led to an implied trust. But, as more of your customers', employees' and partners' sensitive data is stored outside your control, the need to verify the security measures offered by vendors is becoming paramount. Open source code's transparency offers security validation for end-users, instilling a sense of trust that proprietary software cannot offer.

It's this very reason that governments, such as the Republic of Peru, are adopting "open source first" policies. The U.K.'s recent decision to mandate its agencies' office suites support Open Document Format (ODF) is another manifestation of this trend, and the U.S. General Services Administration's recent policy to prioritize open source software in all new and developing IT projects.

* Open source myth #2: Too many cooks in the kitchen. The open source community is the strongest and most well known asset for pushing open source forward and supporting its success. After all, the origin of open source lies in the rich collective of developers who began sharing source code to build on existing software and networks. In enterprise IT, however, some managers fear that the potential for too many options may lead to a lack of direction and waste of resources on open source investments. Proprietary software claims to offer a route that is defined and clear, albeit limited.

The open source community of contributors gives open source projects the support needed for complex integrations with leading technologies in every industry, the insight to identify and patch security components, and the creative potential to aim for extensive goals and uncharted roadmaps. For example, when the Heartbleed bug was uncovered, open source projects addressed it more aggressively than any other group or organization.

* Open source myth #3: Unclear business value. Open source can complement and extend proprietary offerings, such as service and support options, dual licensing agreements and hardware integrations. As a result, businesses can harness the innovative power of the open source community while using its insights to drive revenue for its own content.A great example is the ability to build custom modules on top of collaboration software that can integrate into industry specific software, like customer relationship management (CRM) systems.

The incentive to be more open pays off in all aspects of business, from customer relationships to new technologies. Embarking on open source initiatives sends a strong message about your organization's commitment to this plan. An open source project will flourish with strong input, active collaboration and boundless creative thinking at its core, and its results can yield market success in ways a proprietary software route is unable to touch.

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Debunking the top open source myths

Black Duck Software Raises $20M To Advance Leadership In Open Source Software Logistics

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BURLINGTON, MASS.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Black Duck Software, the leading OSS Logistics solutions provider enabling the deployment and management of open source software (OSS), today announced that it has closed a $20 million investment round led by General Catalyst Venture Partners with all existing investors also participating in the round. The funding will be used to help the company expand its global go-to-market model to fulfill the rapidly growing OSS Logistics market opportunity. In addition, the company today announced the appointment of Stephen Gregorio as its Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President.

Gregorio, who played a critical role in securing the new funding, has over 25 years of financial management experience at high-growth technology companies including Verdasys, Interwise Corporation (acquired by AT&T) and Gensym Corporation, among others. Reporting directly to Black Duck President and CEO Lou Shipley, Gregorio will help Black Duck expand aggressively in the fast-growing OSS Logistics sector.

With this funding in place, we are well-positioned to advance OSS Logistics solutions across the enterprise, said Shipley. Over the next 18 months, we will release powerful new solutions aimed at solving critical supply chain and software development challenges that have resulted from the explosive growth of OSS in enterprises worldwide. Black Duck is among the first to recognize the need for a smarter, more efficient approach to streamlining, safeguarding, and managing the software development and deployment chain. As such, we are ready to help the worlds most innovative organizations better leverage, secure, and grow their investments in open source to achieve greater business success.

According to Gartner, a leading market research firm, 95 percent of all IT organizations will leverage non-trivial elements of OSS technology in their mission-critical IT portfolios by 2016, and fewer than 50 percent of organizations will have implemented an effective strategy for procuring and managing OSS. Black Duck has a rich history of helping Fortune 1000 firms dramatically improve software quality, hasten application development lifecycles, and improve compliance while mitigating security risks.

Black Ducks Board of Directors and investment advisors are equally optimistic about the companys future in this emerging market.

Weve partnered with Black Duck since it was founded, and over the past decade the company has successfully evangelized and supported the safe and proper use of open source software for thousands of enterprises worldwide. Now that OSS has matured and become ubiquitous across organizations of all sizes, they are ready to drive the next phase of explosive innovation and growth in the market, said Larry Bohn, Managing Director at General Catalyst Partners.Black Duck provides the only platform that enables enterprises to manage the increasingly complex OSS logistics frontier.Its a great example of a company weve been bullish on for a long time that maintained its focus while the market was catching up to its vision. Its future looks really exciting.

Further accelerating Black Ducks growth will be Gregorios proven financial management experience. In his previous positions, he successfully managed IPOs, handled merger and acquisition transactions on both sides, raised both debt and equity capital, and served as general counsel, negotiating customer, partnership, and channel agreements.

About General Catalyst

General Catalyst Partners is a venture capital firm that makes early-stage and growth equity investments. The firm backs exceptional entrepreneurs who are building innovative technology companies that transform industries, including KAYAK, Demandware, Stripe, Airbnb, The Honest Company, Warby Parker, Datalogix, BigCommerce, Snapchat, HubSpot, and Datto. The General Catalyst partnership leverages its broad experience to help founders build market-leading businesses. General Catalyst has offices in Cambridge, MA, Palo Alto, CA, and New York City. For more information, visit: http://www.generalcatalyst.com or http://www.twitter.com/gcvp.

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Black Duck Software Raises $20M To Advance Leadership In Open Source Software Logistics

Bitcoin, The Cryptography-based Currency Continues To Rely On Banks For Security

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Reddits r/bitcoin is a popular forum where BTC enthusiasts shared news links and anti-establishment jokes. The site was so influential among the community that a recent book about Bitcoin calledThe Anatomy of a Money-like Informational Commodity discussed the viability of using the number of registered members of the forum as a way to gauge the market sentiment.

One of the most upvoted post on the channel yesterday is one entitled Worst Night of My Life, in which a Bitociner recounted how his family responded after they discovered that his parents house broken into with the safe stolen by the burglars.

The thieves simply threw a rock through his (the authors fathers) back sliding glass window, rummaged around in the house until they found the safe and dom hemingwayd it right off of the foundation it was bolted onto. Inside of his safe was an uncommonly large number of bitcoins (he is an early adopter) on a non password protected paper wallet.

For the uninitiated, a paper wallet is an offline mechanism for storing bitcoins. Unlike online wallets, sometimes referred to hot wallets, paper wallet is a form of cold storage, which is deemed immune to hacking, the cause of most of Bitcoin heists so far. However, despite being considered one of the safest ways to store bitcoins, paper wallet is far from foolproof.

Although the family had backed up the paper wallets and safe-kept them in the local bank, because the burglary took place at night, they had to wait until the next day before they could retrieve their backups and transfer the coins away. The author didnt reveal the specific amount, but he suggested that the amount was significant enough, saying that his father was an early adopter. They were so anxious that they stayed up the entire night.

The robbers had 9 hours to crack into it, figure out what the hell they were looking at (assuming he wasnt explicitly targeted) and then transfer the bitcoins off into their own address. We were both sweating bullets and did not sleep at all.

Fortunately, the thieves were neither aware of or tech-savvy enough to figure out what they laid their hands on. In the end, crisis averted and life back to normal. Am I then only one that saw the irony?

With Bitcoin, you can be your own bank this is many Bitcoiners belief as well as one of the central value propositions of Bitcoin as a currency. It carries two layers of meanings. First, Bitcoin allows people to transmit value among each other without involving a centralized authority and from any places in the world irrespective of jurisdictions and geographies; second, Bitcoin is supposed to allow people to store it secure enough so they never needed to go to a bank. This gives rise to the rather fanatic-sounding prediction of death of traditional banks. Now, it appears that banks offered Bitcoin a measure of security that they cannot get from anywhere else.

It is not only individual users, Coinbase, one of the most reputed Bitcoin companies, also used banks for the same purpose. According to the company: we can safely move about 90% of those funds offline. We do this by taking the sensitive data that would normally reside on our servers (the private keys which represent the actual bitcoins) and moving it to USB sticks and paper backups. We then take these to a safe deposit box at an actual bank.

Despite the cryptography that Bitcoin is based on, there are more ways than you can imagine to breach its security. It is vulnerable to hacking, as indicated by many heists indicated; more importantly, it is vulnerable to human foibles if you are the kind of people who often feel the need to reset your passwords, then you are most likely to find Bitcoin security challenging. In the world of Bitcoin, private key is the only link between you and your money. Unlike losing your bankcard, there is no authority to go to after you lose it Bitcoin is made for the most individualistic and fastidious with a determination of self-reliance. Failing that, you will have to settle with online wallet service, which are centralized and necessitates a certain degree of trust from you. But dont think that is the only risk. Lack of legal recognition means loss of bitcoin doesnt receive the same level of legal protection as other properties do. A thief can kidnap and torture for the private keys. Even in a world there were no such hideous crime, an almost insurmountable obstacle that would prevent Bitcoin from being adopted by the majority is that most of us are just not organized enough.

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Bitcoin, The Cryptography-based Currency Continues To Rely On Banks For Security

Student benefits from special summer program

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By Jessie Molloy Correspondent September 4, 2014 6:36PM

Thomas Simmons | Supplied photo

storyidforme: 71493539 tmspicid: 25134578 fileheaderid: 12677504

Updated: September 4, 2014 8:21PM

While most college students put their studies on hold when they get a summer job, Illinois Wesleyan University student Tom Simmons was able to continue his academic pursuits and get paid this summer when he became a part of the Eckley Summer Scholar and Artist Program.

An Evergreen Park native, Simmons, is a computer science major entering his senior year at Wesleyan with a special interest in online cryptography, which is used for securing information on the Internet.

Cryptography is all around us, he said. Every time we secure our communications, use online banking, check our email or buy something from Amazon we are using cryptography.

Originally drawn to computer science in high school by the idea of coding and game design, Simmons became interested in cryptography when he got to college and found books on the subject in the school library.

My sophomore year I found out my professor was doing research on the subject, and I approached him about it, Simmons said. He told me about his work, and I started to help him as a research assistant.

While he also works as a teaching assistant in the computer science program during the school year, his research with assistant math professor Andrew Shallue has continued independently of Simmons class work. It was Shallue who recommended that Simmons apply for the Eckley scholarship and who served as his summer mentor.

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Snowden leaks help ISIS evade US intel, report says

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Published September 04, 2014

June 5, 2014: Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden participates in a conversation via video with John Perry Barlow, co-founder and vice chairman of the Electronic Frontier Foundation at the 2014 Personal Democracy Forum at New York University in New York.AP

The former deputy director of the National Security Agency says Islamic State militants are using the top-secret data leaked by former contractor Edward Snowden to evade U.S. intelligence.

Chris Inglis, who held the post when Snowden began leaking a flood of documents to the news media last year, told The Washington Times that the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, has "clearly" studied Snowden's documents and taken action.

Snowden went way beyond disclosing things that bore on privacy concerns, said Inglis, who retired in January. Having disclosed all of those methods, or at least some degree of those methods, it would be impossible to imagine that, as intelligent as they are in the use of technology, in the employment of communications for their own purposes, its impossible to imagine that they wouldnt understand how they might be at risk to intelligence services around the world, not the least of which is the U.S.

"And they necessarily do what they think is in their best interest to defend themselves, he told the paper.

Some of the documents turned over by Snowden provided precise details on how the U.S. tracks an Al Qaeda operative.

According to the Times, some officials argue that ISIS operatives reading the series of Snowden documents and news stories know what types of communication to avoid or how to make them more secure.

Click here to read more from The Washington Times.

The rest is here:
Snowden leaks help ISIS evade US intel, report says


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