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Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

ibtimes.co.uk

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Re: Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

#21

Post by mattvot »

objectiveariel wrote: post #20

I actually believe the Russian government can do that. It's trivial for a messenger app to include code that sends a copy of your private key to the messenger app's company's HQ, if served with a warrant or if obliged by law (and that seems to be precisely what's happening here). If the messenger app is open-source (like Telegram or Signal), you can satisfy yourself that the messenger app isn't sending your private k…

> If the messenger app is open-source ... you can satisfy yourself that the messenger app isn't sending your private key

But only if you are building and installing the app from source, and have audited each release. OS apps installed through app stores suffer the same lack of visibility as a CS app.

Re: Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

#22

Post by executesorder66 »

EugeneOZ wrote: post #17
rando444 wrote: post #7

I think we need to wait for someone that understands Russian to chime in and tell us whether this article interpreted this correctly, or if this is just a law giving the state the authority to collect your private keys from your systems (via however they want to accomplish this)

I speak russian and I can ensure you this story is ridiculous for every IT-related person in Russia. Russian segment of the internet already produced a lot of memes and jokes about "all keys in 2 weeks" (and teleport in last day, please). It's just level of incompetence of the Russian government. This law is just reason to ban every messenger who will not send traffic to FSB.

Heh. That reminds me about the time when my government (South Africa) wanted to pass a law that all local ISP's must log and store every bit of data that goes through their networks for at least 5 years.

Re: Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

#23

Post by onion2k »

vladdanilov wrote: post #11

I just leave a couple of excerpts for everyone to understand the level of competence up there. > After signing controversial anti-terrorist legislation earlier today, President Putin ordered the Federal Security Service (the FSB, the post-Soviet successor to the KGB) to produce encryption keys to decrypt all data on the Internet. According to the executive order, the FSB has two weeks to do it. Responsibility for car…

While that makes it sound like the Russian government are planning to crack all the encrypted traffic on the internet in two weeks, that's not what they're saying. They've built a website that enables companies to easily voluntarily hand over their private keys - companies that don't will be fined, and presumably blocked at a state level if they refuse long term.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/russia-finalizes-procedures-f...

Re: Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

#24

Post by simbalion »

Governments who do not allow the proper, open operation of the internet, should be banned from using it. Like it or not the Internet was created by Americans, it was nurtured with American ideals of freedom, and countries who refuse to allow those standards should be barred from participating. I think this would have a positive effect in the long run, the way economic sanctions sometimes work.

A few years ago I'd never have proposed this.. but the willingness of second and third world governments to abuse the internet for their obviously crooked purposes has reached a fever pitch in recent months.

slightly unrelated, but interesting, those same countries produce most of the world's spam and viruses.

edit: I wonder if it'd be feasible to ban corrupt governments from the internet while allowing citizens access.

Re: Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

#25

Post by krapp »

simbalion wrote: post #24

Governments who do not allow the proper, open operation of the internet, should be banned from using it. Like it or not the Internet was created by Americans, it was nurtured with American ideals of freedom, and countries who refuse to allow those standards should be barred from participating. I think this would have a positive effect in the long run, the way economic sanctions sometimes work. A few years ago I'd nev…

> Like it or not the Internet was created by Americans, it was nurtured with American ideals of freedom, and countries who refuse to allow those standards should be barred from participating.

And it's been undermined by Americans, and been corrupted into a platform for American surveillance and cultural propaganda, thanks to the NSA and CIA.

The thing is, Putin sounds like a raving loon for saying things like "the internet is a CIA project," but he's not entirely wrong. The US created one of the greatest tools for freedom, communication and expression the world has ever known... and it's been been trying ever since to burn it down and plant the Stars and Stripes in the ashes.

Re: Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

#26

Post by ScroogeMcDoug »

simbalion wrote: post #24

Governments who do not allow the proper, open operation of the internet, should be banned from using it. Like it or not the Internet was created by Americans, it was nurtured with American ideals of freedom, and countries who refuse to allow those standards should be barred from participating. I think this would have a positive effect in the long run, the way economic sanctions sometimes work. A few years ago I'd nev…

Blocking an entire country from accessing infrastructure in other countries would only help these authoritarian nations foster nationalism.

Re: Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

#27

Post by Dolores12 »

vladdanilov wrote: post #11

I just leave a couple of excerpts for everyone to understand the level of competence up there. > After signing controversial anti-terrorist legislation earlier today, President Putin ordered the Federal Security Service (the FSB, the post-Soviet successor to the KGB) to produce encryption keys to decrypt all data on the Internet. According to the executive order, the FSB has two weeks to do it. Responsibility for car…

So what's wrong with competence here? Or you just know better than Putin? :)

Snowden revelations showed up that internet have been used as a tool to collect intelligence about foreign and domestic citizen by USA agencies. You can refresh your memory here [1]. Also, meduza.io is not a credible source as i have noted few times in my comments.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Snowden#Revelations

Re: Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

#28

Post by superuser2 »

rando444 wrote: post #5
badminton1 wrote: post #4

Apparently they required companies to provide their private keys. Once you have that you can capture traffic and decrypt it.

Whatsapp, Signal, and Telegram generate the keys on the clients to provide end-to-end encryption. The companies themselves do not have keys to provide to anyone.

Even if that's true, they are one auto-update away from adding a key exfiltration routine.

Re: Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

#29

Post by simbalion »

krapp wrote: post #25
simbalion wrote: post #24

Governments who do not allow the proper, open operation of the internet, should be banned from using it. Like it or not the Internet was created by Americans, it was nurtured with American ideals of freedom, and countries who refuse to allow those standards should be barred from participating. I think this would have a positive effect in the long run, the way economic sanctions sometimes work. A few years ago I'd nev…

> Like it or not the Internet was created by Americans, it was nurtured with American ideals of freedom, and countries who refuse to allow those standards should be barred from participating. And it's been undermined by Americans, and been corrupted into a platform for American surveillance and cultural propaganda, thanks to the NSA and CIA. The thing is, Putin sounds like a raving loon for saying things like "the in…

Compared to other countries, entirely in my head and not in any scientific way, I think America has a better track record than some of protecting the internet from tyrannical government agents.

Re: Russia says it can collect encryption keys to decode information from WhatsApp

#30

Post by simbalion »

ScroogeMcDoug wrote: post #26
simbalion wrote: post #24

Governments who do not allow the proper, open operation of the internet, should be banned from using it. Like it or not the Internet was created by Americans, it was nurtured with American ideals of freedom, and countries who refuse to allow those standards should be barred from participating. I think this would have a positive effect in the long run, the way economic sanctions sometimes work. A few years ago I'd nev…

Blocking an entire country from accessing infrastructure in other countries would only help these authoritarian nations foster nationalism.

if I understand your statement, I think I agree. That's why I adjusted my comment to suggest banning only the governments of those nations, while allowing the private citizenry to continue to have access.

That would certainly be challenging to do, but I believe it would be possible.

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