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List:       isn
Subject:    [ISN] Why does the NSA's boss care so much about backdoors when he can just steal all our encryption
From:       InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews ! org>
Date:       2015-02-25 9:16:39
Message-ID: alpine.DEB.2.02.1502250916280.25684 () infosecnews ! org
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http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/02/25/nsa_boss_encryption_backdoors/

By Iain Thomson
The Register
25 Feb 2015

NSA director Admiral Mike Rogers has said it is vital Uncle Sam's 
crimefighters snoop on people – and that this should be possible even if 
citizens use strong encryption.

The spymaster reckons Americans should secure their communications against 
all eavesdroppers – except, of course, those working for the police, FBI 
and the NSA (to counter terrorism or something). Experts warn any 
backdoors allowing this to happen will be exploited by criminals.

Rogers was nattering away at a cybersecurity conference organized by the 
New America Foundation think tank on Monday. Bruce Schneier, who literally 
wrote the book on cryptography and was present at the discussion, had to 
point out that insisting on backdoors in encryption – such as skeleton 
keys that can decrypt any message – will weaken Americans' security.

Schneier told The Register that Rogers' assertions were concerning.

During the meeting, Yahoo!'s chief security officer Alex Stamos wondered 
out loud that if his firm is forced to install government-mandated 
backdoors, would the Russians and Chinese have the right to make similar 
demands.

[...]



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