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Controversial Surveillance Firm Blue Coat Was Granted a Powerful Encryption Certificate (vice.com)
Joseph Cox, reporting for Motherboard (edited for clarity): A controversial surveillance company called Blue Coat Systems -- whose products have been detected in Iran and Sudan -- was recently issued a powerful encryption certificate by Symantec. The certificate, and the authority that comes with it, could allow Blue Coat Systems to more easily snoop on encrypted traffic. But Symantec downplayed concern from the security community. Blue Coat, which sells web-monitoring software, was granted the power in September last year, but it was only widely noticed this week. The company's devices are used by both government and commercial customers for keeping tabs on networks or conducting surveillance. In Syria, the technology has been used to censor web sites and monitor the communications of dissidents, activists and journalists.Blue Coat assures that it is not going to utilize the certificates to snoop on us. The Register reports: We asked Blue Coat how it planned to use its new powers -- and we were assured that its intermediate certificate was only used for internal testing and that the certificate is no longer in use. "Symantec has reviewed the intermediate CA issued to Blue Coat and determined it was used appropriately," the two firms said in a statement. "Consistent with their protocols, Symantec maintained full control of the private key and Blue Coat never had access to it. Blue Coat has confirmed it was used for internal testing and has since been discontinued. Therefore, rumors of misuse are unfounded."
Why the fuck has this site descended into rampant tinfoil hat paranoia? It used to be about nerd stuff with the occasional YRO or science article mixed in. Now it's mostly crap and the editors seem to like it that way. Otherwise they would post more nerdy stuff or go out and find it on their own. Comment volume doesn't equal quality discussion and these issues have been discussed ad nauseum. There's nothing fresh to say about it. Why the fuck does stuff like this keep getting posted? Want better discussion and nerdy comments? Go find better articles that don't cater to a paranoid schizophrenic and SJW audience! My god, this site sucks. We get it, our privacy is under attack. Posting several articles about it each day doesn't promote intelligent discussion.
Really? This non-story made Slashdot? Shall we get out the tin-foil hats, UFO shirts and start watching conspiracy theory movies? I should hope that on this site people have at least a basic understanding of how technology works. /tinfoil hat brigade to the rescue //just as soon as the contrails clear out ///and fluoride in the water is removed
Really? a "powerful crypto certificate"?
Suddenly we are in the world of snowcrash and shadowrun? Wiz man I got a cert that can break the pentagon firewalls!
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