NSA's Stealing Keys To Mobile Phone Encryption Shows Why Mandatory Backdoors To Encryption Is A Horrible Idea

from the let's-end-this-now dept

Over the last few months, ever since both Apple and Google announced plans to encrypt data on iOS and Android devices by default, there's been a ridiculous amount of hand-wringing from the law enforcement community about requiring backdoors, golden keys and magic fairy dust that will allow law enforcement to decrypt the information on your phone... or children will die, even though they actually won't.

And, of course, yesterday, the Intercept had its big story about how the NSA (with an assist from GCHQ) hacked its way to get access to the encryption keys used on SIM cards on basically all the mobile phones out there, giving those intelligence agencies easy (warrant-free!) access to conversations that most people thought had at least some encryption. These two stories may not seem to be directly connected (we're talking about different kinds of encryption for different things), but in writing about the SIM card story, Julian Sanchez at Cato makes a really good point about why the Gemalto hack underscores why backdoors are a horrendously bad idea: they create a central point of attack to undermine all the security that people rely on.
Finally, this is one more demonstration that proposals to require telecommunications providers and device manufacturers to build law enforcement backdoors in their products are a terrible, terrible idea. As security experts have rightly insisted all along, requiring companies to keep a repository of keys to unlock those backdoors makes the key repository itself a prime target for the most sophisticated attackers—like NSA and GCHQ. It would be both arrogant and foolhardy in the extreme to suppose that only “good” attackers will be successful in these efforts. 
It would be nice to see that the revelation of the NSA undermining one use of encryption led people to realize the stupidity of undermining other forms of encryption, but somehow, it seems likely that our law enforcement community won't quite comprehend that message.
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Filed Under: gchq, mandatory backdoors, mobile encryption, nsa, phone sims, repository, surveillance, target
Companies: apple, gemalto, google


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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 20 Feb 2015 @ 12:40pm

    Oh they comprehend the message just fine, but don't care.
    The only thing that will change is their excuse.

    They want that data, no matter the means and will use any excuse to get it.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 20 Feb 2015 @ 12:41pm

    Proverb

    "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."


    What level are we on?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 20 Feb 2015 @ 12:58pm

    warrantless-free?

    I think you meant warrantless, or warrant-free, but not both.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 20 Feb 2015 @ 1:31pm

    You know who says "Give us what we want [encryption keys] or people [children] will die" and then take what they want anyway ? Terrorists.

    I guess the "no negotiating with terrorists" policy has some secret interpretation, since every politician seem to be willing to give them what they want nowadays, even if they already have plenty of it...

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 20 Feb 2015 @ 1:42pm

    Hack everything...

    I want the various spy agencies to step up their game. I want them to hack every little thing that can be hacked. I want the NSA to digitally conquer the world. I want every person on Earth to constantly feel watched; and GUILTY.

    Maybe then the folks in charge will finally understand the scale of the problem they are themselves creating. Maybe...

    Until then, why fight on the loosing side? Hurray for corrupt politicians and unchecked surveillance! To improve efficiency, we could combine all the various agencies into one massive Universal Spy Agency (aka: USA). USA! USA! USA!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 20 Feb 2015 @ 3:05pm

    Mike, are you a pedophile?



    sad that I have to explain that this is a joke

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 20 Feb 2015 @ 4:43pm

    So why did the NSA not simply do a Lavabit Job on Gemalto, insisting that they give up the keys, because Terrorism!

    "We don't know which key applies to his phone, so give us All the keys."

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Anonymous Coward, 20 Feb 2015 @ 9:15pm

      Re:

      "We know someone in Chicago talked to a terrorist yesterday. We can't tell who, or if they are even still here. Therefore, we need every key to every house in Chicago. We also need to make sure no one knows we have their key, or else people will die."

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Feb 2015 @ 3:29am

    Of course those in power won't be able to resist abusing government mandated backdoors/frontdoors. Human history proves such restraint is impossible. Ignoring history leads to it's repeat.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 21 Feb 2015 @ 5:36am

    After reading the Intercept's "The Great SIM Heist". What I find most troubling is that if the US Gov has access to everyone's private SIM keys. That probably means the FBI or US Marshals can issue remote commands to anyone's cellphone using Stingray devices. Reflashing firmware and/or installing software on a targeted individual's phone. Heck, they could even remotely execute commands by simply flying a Stingray equipped drone over someone's house.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      GEMont (profile), 22 Feb 2015 @ 3:53pm

      Re:

      Well said.

      Its always nice to see that some members of the public are actually using logic to extrapolate the reality from the various disparate headlines, instead of just grabbing a recently crushed sacred cow and riding it to death.

      Kudos. :)

      ---

      link to this | view in chronology ]


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