A large group of security companies have formed a coalition to oppose the proposed rules from the Department of Commerce that would regulate the export of so-called intrusion software, a broad term that researchers and legal experts are concerned would limit security research and development. The rules proposed by the department’s Bureau of Industry and Security in […]
Tag Archives: Government
CloudFlare Transparency Report Shows Spike in Court Orders
In its latest transparency report, CloudFlare says that the number of subpoenas it has received has remained steady since last year, but the volume of court orders has more than doubled since the second half of last year. While much of the data from CloudFlare’s report for the first half of 2015 closely mirrors the […]
Hacking Team Promises to Rebuild Controversial Surveillance Software
Hacking Team promised to rebuild its controversial surveillance software while two more Adobe Flash Player zero day vulnerabilities were uncovered.
U.S. Government Wades Into Vulnerability Disclosure
Security researchers and software vendors have spent decades trying to work out the process of vulnerability disclosure, with limited success. Now the federal government is joining the fray in hopes of getting the two sides to play nice. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, a unit of the Department of Commerce, is launching what it […]
FBI Director to Silicon Valley: ‘Try Harder’ to Find ‘Going Dark’ Solution
FBI director James Comey and Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates testified before a Senate committee on how encryption is hampering law enforcement and national security efforts.
Hacking Team Plans to Continue Operations
UPDATE–It has been absolutely brutal week for Hacking Team. All of the company’s documents, internal communications, emails with customers, and invoices have been published, including its dealings with oppressive regimes and customers in sanctioned countries. But even with all that, company officials said they have no plans to cease operations, even as they’re asking customers […]
EU Lawmaker Wants Answers on Hacking Team Sales to Sanctioned Countries
A prominent member of the EU parliament, who has been outspoken on security and privacy issues, on Tuesday submitted a written list of questions to the European Commission about the actions of Hacking Team and whether the company had violated EU sanctions regarding sales to specific countries. Marietje Schaake, a Dutch member of the European […]
Crypto Leaders: ‘Exceptional Access’ Will Undo Security
Thirteen cryptography leaders and pioneers published a paper warning of the economic and social pitfalls associated with the government’s desire for “exceptional access” to cryptographic keys.
UK Student’s Research a Wassenaar Casualty
Grant Wilcox, an ethical hacking degree candidate at the University of Northumbria in the U.K., said the Wassenaar Arrangement rules were one reason he decided not to publish exploits he developed for his dissertation.
Senator Demands Answers on FBI’s Use of Zero Days, Phishing
The chairman of the powerful Senate Judiciary Committee is asking some pointed questions of the FBI director about the bureau’s use of zero-day vulnerabilities, phishing attacks, spyware, and other controversial tools. Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has sent a letter to FBI Director James Comey asking for “more specific information about the FBI’s current use of […]