Secure Communication as an endangered Species

René Pfeiffer/ July 20, 2021/ Conference

Cosplay at New York Comic Con 2012 (NYCC 2012). https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NYCC_2012_-_Spy_vs_Spy_(8117616249).jpgCommunication is a vital part of modern life and business processes around the world. The rise of the Internet has put sending and receiving information at the centre of most activities. Anyone who has access to personal messages can use them to a significant advantage. Messengers live on billions of smartphones around the world. A compromised telephone opens the door to a treasure trove of highly valuable data. Welcome to the world of information warfare!

Repeatedly we issued press articles covering broken secure communication and backdoors to devices. The most recent publications cover the initiative of the German government for mandatory security vulnerabilities in digital infrastructure. Information security cannot distinguish between the purpose of how technology is used. Especially the integrity of computer systems is either preserved or destroyed. There is no middle ground. The same is valid for encrypted communication. Once the possibility for backdoors in systems exist, then there are ways to bypass security settings and compromise the whole system. The current revelations about the use of the Pegasus malware illustrate what this means for all of us. Commercial malware is a persistent threat to digital infrastructure, because as with any other technology it will be abused.

The DeepSec conference has always criticised attacks on secure communication. A systemic compromise of information security can only threaten society, politics, and businesses. There are no benefits by allowing software vulnerabilities to be exploited instead of being closed for good. The conference in November will feature presentations and content to address malware used by nation states. We also feature a training about the dangers of mobile networks. We strongly recommend anyone who relies on secure communication to attend our event.

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About René Pfeiffer

System administrator, lecturer, hacker, security consultant, technical writer and DeepSec organisation team member. Has done some particle physics, too. Prefers encrypted messages for the sake of admiring the mathematical algorithms at work.