From an article about Zheng Xiaoqing, an American convicted of spying for China: According to a Department of Justice (DOJ) indictment, the US citizen hid confidential files stolen from his employers in the binary code of a digital photograph of…
Category: Schneier on Security
Security Analysis of Threema
A group of Swiss researchers have published an impressive security analysis of Threema. We provide an extensive cryptographic analysis of Threema, a Swiss-based encrypted messaging application with more than 10 million users and 7000 corporate customers. We present seven different…
AI and Political Lobbying
Launched just weeks ago, ChatGPT is already threatening to upend how we draft everyday communications like emails, college essays and myriad other forms of writing. Created by the company OpenAI, ChatGPT is a chatbot that can automatically respond to written…
The FBI Identified a Tor User
No details, though: According to the complaint against him, Al-Azhari allegedly visited a dark web site that hosts “unofficial propaganda and photographs related to ISIS” multiple times on May 14, 2019. In virtue of being a dark web site—that is,…
Hacked Cellebrite and MSAB Software Released
Cellebrite is an cyberweapons arms manufacturer that sells smartphone forensic software to governments around the world. MSAB is a Swedish company that does the same thing. Someone has released software and documentation from both companies. This article has been indexed…
Schneier on Security Audiobook Sale
I’m not sure why, but Audiobooks.com is offering the audiobook version of Schneier on Security at 50% off until January 17. EDITED TO ADD: The audiobook of We Have Root is 50% off until January 27 if you use this…
Booklist Review of A Hacker’s Mind
Booklist reviews A Hacker’s Mind: Author and public-interest security technologist Schneier (Data and Goliath, 2015) defines a “hack” as an activity allowed by a system “that subverts the rules or norms of the system […] at the expense of someone…
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
This is a current list of where and when I am scheduled to speak: I’m speaking at Capricon, a four-day science fiction convention in Chicago. My talk is on “The Coming AI Hackers” and will be held Friday, February 3…
Friday Squid Blogging: How to Buy Fresh or Frozen Squid
Good advice on buying squid. I like to buy whole fresh squid and clean it myself. As usual, you can also use this squid post to talk about the security stories in the news that I haven’t covered. Read my…
Threats of Machine-Generated Text
With the release of ChatGPT, I’ve read many random articles about this or that threat from the technology. This paper is a good survey of the field: what the threats are, how we might detect machine-generated text, directions for future…
Breaking RSA with a Quantum Computer
A group of Chinese researchers have just published a paper claiming that they can—although they have not yet done so—break 2048-bit RSA. This is something to take seriously. It might not be correct, but it’s not obviously wrong. We have…
Experian Privacy Vulnerability
Brian Krebs is reporting on a vulnerability in Experian’s website: Identity thieves have been exploiting a glaring security weakness in the website of Experian, one of the big three consumer credit reporting bureaus. Normally, Experian requires that those seeking a…
ChatGPT-Written Malware
I don’t know how much of a thing this will end up being, but we are seeing ChatGPT-written malware in the wild. …within a few weeks of ChatGPT going live, participants in cybercrime forums—some with little or no coding experience—were…
Identifying People Using Cell Phone Location Data
The two people who shut down four Washington power stations in December were arrested. This is the interesting part: Investigators identified Greenwood and Crahan almost immediately after the attacks took place by using cell phone data that allegedly showed both…
Breaking RSA with a Quantum Computer
A group of Chinese researchers have just published a paper claiming that they can—although they have not yet done so—break 2048-bit RSA. This is something to take seriously. It might not be correct, but it’s not obviously wrong. We have…
Schneier on Security Audiobook Sale
I’m not sure why, but Audiobooks.com is offering the audiobook version of Schneier on Security at 50% off until January 17. This article has been indexed from Schneier on Security Read the original article: Schneier on Security Audiobook Sale
Remote Vulnerabilities in Automobiles
This group has found a ton of remote vulnerabilities in all sorts of automobiles. It’s enough to make you want to buy a car that is not Internet-connected. Unfortunately, that seems to be impossible. This article has been indexed from…
Decarbonizing Cryptocurrencies through Taxation
Maintaining bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies causes about 0.3 percent of global CO2 emissions. That may not sound like a lot, but it’s more than the emissions of Switzerland, Croatia, and Norway combined. As many cryptocurrencies crash and the FTX bankruptcy…
Breaking RSA with a Quantum Computer
A group of Chinese researchers have just published a paper claiming that they can—although they have not yet done so—break 2048-bit RSA. This is something to take seriously. It might not be correct, but it’s not obviously wrong. We have…
Friday Squid Blogging: Grounded Fishing Boat Carrying 16,000 Pounds of Squid
Rough seas are hampering efforts to salvage the boat: The Speranza Marie, carrying 16,000 pounds of squid and some 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel, hit the shoreline near Chinese Harbor at about 2 a.m. on Dec. 15. Six crew members…