Eavesdropping

Israel says it will continue to listen-in on Hezbollah communication
Hezbollah has its own communication network in Lebanon, separate and independent from the government’s sanctioned carrier networks; Israel says that bugging the organization’s network does not amount to a violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty
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Robust hierarchical metropolitan quantum cryptography network
The security of a majority of classical cryptography is based on the complexity of the cipher algorithms and the development of distributed computing and specific hacking chips; this may no longer be sufficient, as quantum computing has become a serious threat to classical cryptography; the solution: quantum encryption
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UK.gov's G Cloud may have security silver lining after all
Cloud computing offers many benefits, but enhanced security is not one of them — or is it? An expert says that the emergence of cloud computing is making it possible to take a new approach to security; until now, the U.K. government has kept its work on information security in specialist bodies such as GCHQ and CESG, separate from the development of business functions; “The cloud gives us the opportunity to get the specification right before we get too far down the track,” he says
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The personal spy: the smartphone in your pocket may be spying on you, II
The advances in smartphone technology could well be exploited in much the same way that e-mail and the Internet can be used to “phish” for personal information such as bank details
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The personal spy: the smartphone in your pocket may be spying on you, I
The advances in smartphone technology could well be exploited in much the same way that e-mail and the Internet can be used to “phish” for personal information such as bank details
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Russian security services step up snooping
The heightened interest might stem from authorities’ fear about possible public unrest connected to the economic crisis; in the first half of this year, the secret services filed nearly 77,200 requests for search warrants, more than 66,000 requests to tap phones and nearly 7,800 requests to read mail
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U.K. authorities made more than 500,000 surveillance requests last year
U.K. police, councils, and the intelligence services made about 1,500 surveillance requests every day last year; this is the annual equivalent to one in every 78 people being targeted
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Maryland transportation chief halts audio surveillance plans
Maryland Transportation Administration considered using listening devices on its buses and trains for recording conversations of passengers and employees; acting director of the agency suspends plan
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Red tape frustrates U.K. government's eavesdroppers
A new report says that bureaucracy and red tape hampers the ability of the U.K. government to cope with an increased demand for intelligence and security testing
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Western companies help Iranian government to monitor citizens
Nokia Siemens provides the Iranian government with technology to monitor, control, and read local telephone calls; the product allows authorities to monitor any communications across a network, including voice calls, text messaging, instant messages, and Web traffic
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U.K. government to give up on massive Internet snoop scheme
The Home Office admits that its IMP (Interception Modernization Program) — the cost of which was to be £2 billion over ten years — cannot be realized because the technology does not yet exist
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U.K. to emulate some of China's Olympic security practices
The British police wants to implement during the 2012 London Olympic Games some of the security practices employed by the Chinese during the 2008 Beijing Games — some, but not all: A Scotland Yard report says that a “balance must be maintained between the use of technology to support security requirements and individual rights to privacy” (the Chinese were less concerned with that balance)
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U.K. information commissioner: data collection trend will be reversed
Richard Thomas, the outgoing U.K. information commissioner: “If you are looking for a needle in a haystack, it does not make sense to make the haystack bigger”
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U.K. moves forward with comprehensive eavesdropping scheme
The U.K. government announced last week that it was abandoning the plan to create a centralized super-database in which the personal information of Britons will be kept — but a £1 billion intelligence gathering project is moving forward; the scheme will monitor all all e-mails, Web site visits, and social networking sessions in Britain
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Al-Qaeda plea deal details communication methods
Last week Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri entered a plea deal in Illinois in which he admitted to entering the United States on 10 September 2001 in order to form a sleeper cell for future terrorist activities; plea details Al-Qaeda’s communication methods
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