Skype Encryption Stumps German Police

TallGuyRacer writes "German police are unable to decipher the encryption used in the internet telephone software Skype to monitor calls by suspected criminals and terrorists, Germany's top police officer, Joerg Ziercke, said. "The encryption with Skype telephone software ... creates grave difficulties for us... We can't decipher it. That's why we're talking about source telecommunication surveillance — that is, getting to the source before encryption or after it's been decrypted.""

Comments

Skype unbreakable?

[niceone]

Well, it seems they are not really trying - they are not even talking to Skype about it.
What they want is permission to install spyware - something that is illegal in Germany at the moment:

Ziercke said there was a vital need for German law enforcement agencies to have the ability to conduct on-line searches of computer hard drives of suspected terrorists using "Trojan horse" spyware.

That's the real point of the story, not that Skype is unbreakable.

Re:Skype unbreakable?

[Sique]

There is a big difference between tapping a phone or a search warrant on the one side and a secret search of one's computer.

For a search warrant to be executed the suspect has to be present, or at least an outside witness has to be present. (I don't know about the legal situation in the U.S., but at least in Germany this is the case.)

Phone tapping can't create phone conversations that never happened.

But if you can install a software on a person's computer without him noticing, then you could also put counterbande files like the oh so beloved bomb construction howtos or kiddie porn on the computer.

The main problem with secretly spying on a computer is that it compromises the computer. From a legal point of view material gained with a secret computer search shouldn't be brought to court, because there is no way to prove that the evidence isn't faked.

Great

[dalmiroy2k]

Not only Skype gives us free, multiuser lag-free video conference with excellent quality, now we know our conversations are private.
I have nothing to hide, but nothing to share either.

Re:Great

[paulhar]

Assumption: this isn't dis-information designed to make us all feel safer about using Skype's encryption

Idiots, Skype decrypts calls for all authorities!

[barwasp]

Skype is a telecommunications company and for having their teleoperator license required to allow wiretaps for law enforcement purposes - so it works also in USA. Or do you thing that USA would just allow osama bin laden to host conference calls with wannabe terrorists using Skype. In fact Skype clearly admits that they decrypt the calls for all requesting authorities.

Kurt Sauer, Skype's chief security officer, said there are no "back doors" that could let a government bypass the encryption on a call. At the same time, he said Skype "cooperates fully with all lawful requests from relevant authorities." He would not give particulars on the type of support provided. The german police just wants to install trojan horses for monitoring the germans. If the polizei were really after those encrypted skype calls they would just sue skype, and not be whining their lack of skills in public.