NordVPN Promotion

Home / Blogs

Encryption, Our Last Line of Defense

Protect your privacy:  Get NordVPN  [ Deal: 73% off 2-year plans + 3 extra months ]
10 facts about NordVPN that aren't commonly known
  • Meshnet Feature for Personal Encrypted Networks: NordVPN offers a unique feature called Meshnet, which allows users to connect their devices directly and securely over the internet. This means you can create your own private, encrypted network for activities like gaming, file sharing, or remote access to your home devices from anywhere in the world.
  • RAM-Only Servers for Enhanced Security: Unlike many VPN providers, NordVPN uses RAM-only (diskless) servers. Since these servers run entirely on volatile memory, all data is wiped with every reboot. This ensures that no user data is stored long-term, significantly reducing the risk of data breaches and enhancing overall security.
  • Servers in a Former Military Bunker: Some of NordVPN's servers are housed in a former military bunker located deep underground. This unique location provides an extra layer of physical security against natural disasters and unauthorized access, ensuring that the servers are protected in all circumstances.
  • NordLynx Protocol with Double NAT Technology: NordVPN developed its own VPN protocol called NordLynx, built around the ultra-fast WireGuard protocol. What sets NordLynx apart is its implementation of a double Network Address Translation (NAT) system, which enhances user privacy without sacrificing speed. This innovative approach solves the potential privacy issues inherent in the standard WireGuard protocol.
  • Dark Web Monitor Feature: NordVPN includes a feature known as Dark Web Monitor. This tool actively scans dark web sites and forums for credentials associated with your email address. If it detects that your information has been compromised or appears in any data breaches, it promptly alerts you so you can take necessary actions to protect your accounts.

The Implications of Weakening or Breaking Encryption

Encryption is fundamental to our daily life. Practically everything we do online makes use of encryption is some form. Access to our financial transactions, health records, government services, and exchanged private messages are all protected by strong encryption.

Encryption is the process of changing the information in such a way as to make it unreadable by anyone except for those possessing special knowledge (usually referred to as a “key”), which allows them to change the information back to its original, readable form.

Not only does encryption protect our sensitive personal data, but also secure communications between computerized medical devices, and in the near future, even autonomous, self-driving vehicles. And it is our important, last line of defense to protect Internet users globally and preserve core principles, such as freedom of expression and personal privacy.

Law Enforcement vs. Encryption

Recently, political and law enforcement leaders in the United States, United Kingdom and India have called for the Tech Industry, as well as private messaging platforms like WhatsApp and social media networks, to redesign their systems to ensure that governments can have access to the users’ information and content - even if encrypted.

The debate about encryption, or security versus privacy, is not new. In the 1990s, the governments of the United States and a number of other industrialized countries advocated for weakening encryption, claiming that the widespread use of encryption would prove to be disastrous for law enforcement. And in the last few years, some governments have introduced new controversial encryption laws that compel tech companies to grant law enforcement agencies access to encrypted messages, such as the Australian Telecommunications (Assistance and Access) Act, which passed into law at the end of 2018.

James Comey, the former FBI Director, held a speech in Brookings Institution in October 2014, which was entirely focused on the challenges posed by encryption. “The FBI has a sworn duty to keep every American safe from crime and terrorism, and technology has become the tool of choice for some very dangerous people. Unfortunately, the law hasn’t kept pace with technology, and this disconnect has created a significant public safety problem. We call it ‘Going Dark,’” he said.

The US Government considers “Going Dark” to involve its inability to access content in private messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, which uses encryption systems that prevent the service provider, e.g., WhatsApp, in this case, from being able to decrypt the contents of messages sent and received.

The world did not “Go Dark.” On the contrary, law enforcement agencies now have much better and more effective surveillance capabilities than they had before, as substantially more data—especially metadata—is available for collection and analysis by law enforcement.

Weakening encryption poses grave security risks, and there are four major problems we face. The first is that weakening encryption would force a U-turn from the best practices to make the Internet more secure by default; these practices include end-to-end encryption of private messages between Internet users.

Second, designing an exceptional access system to allow access to private encrypted data in global messaging platforms like WhatsApp would substantially increase the system complexity and vulnerability. Security researchers have always indicated that complexity is the enemy of security.

Designing such exceptional access on a global platform that has billions of users would have to be deployed and tested by literally hundreds of thousands of developers all around the world, making security testing difficult and less effective.

Third, providing governments or law enforcement with exceptional access would create concentrated targets that could attract bad actors. Security credentials that unlock encrypted data would have to be retained by the platform provider, law enforcement agencies, or other trusted third parties. If law enforcement has keys and guaranteed access to everything, then a potential attacker who has gained access to these keys would enjoy the same privilege on a massive, global scale.

Fourth, the position of governments in democratic and industrialized countries on encryption does not recognize that some governments around the world pose varying degrees of threats to the freedom and privacy of individuals. Encryption helps people exercise their internationally-recognized human rights, freedom of speech and expression in countries with authoritarian regimes.

The Way Forward, a Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue

The current polarized debate on the use of encryption to promote security regrettably assumes that solutions must have winners and losers. We should reject such an assumption.

Encryption plays a pivotal role in securing the data at the heart of our modern society and economy, and this effort involves not just tech companies that create products and services, but should also extend to include the millions of Internet users around the world who rely on private messaging platforms, products and services to empower their daily lives, civil society, digital rights activists, the companies that encrypt human resources, sales, or other data, and even to the law enforcement officials who investigate crimes.

With so many interests at stake, it is vital that these discussions about the future of encryption involve all perspectives and stakeholders affected at a national and global level.

By Mohamed EL Bashir, Public Policy & Internet Governance Strategist

Filed Under

Comments

Comment Title:

  Notify me of follow-up comments

We encourage you to post comments and engage in discussions that advance this post through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can report it using the link at the end of each comment. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of CircleID. For more information on our comment policy, see Codes of Conduct.

CircleID Newsletter The Weekly Wrap

More and more professionals are choosing to publish critical posts on CircleID from all corners of the Internet industry. If you find it hard to keep up daily, consider subscribing to our weekly digest. We will provide you a convenient summary report once a week sent directly to your inbox. It's a quick and easy read.

Related

Topics

Threat Intelligence

Sponsored byWhoisXML API

DNS

Sponsored byDNIB.com

New TLDs

Sponsored byRadix

IPv4 Markets

Sponsored byIPv4.Global

Cybersecurity

Sponsored byVerisign

Brand Protection

Sponsored byCSC

Domain Names

Sponsored byVerisign

NordVPN Promotion