One of the notable claims we have heard, in light of the Verizon / PRISM revelations, is that data extraction measures are calibrated to make sure that 51% or more of affected individuals are non-U.S. persons. As a U.S. person, I don’t find this at all reassuring. To see why, let’s think about the underlying […]
Revisiting the potential hazards of the 'Protect America' act
June 8, 2013 by
In light of recent news reports about NSA wiretapping of U.S. Internet communications, folks may be interested in some background on the ‘warrantless wiretapping’ provisions of the Protect America act, and the potential security risks such wiretapping systems can introduce. Here’s a 2007 article a group of us wrote entitled “Risking Communications Security: Potential Hazards […]
Twenty-First Century Eavesdropping
June 7, 2013 by
Yesterday’s revelations about widespread government data collection led me to re-read my nine-post series on “Twenty-First Century Eavesdropping” from back in 2006. I was surprised to see how closely that discussion fit the current facts. Links to the 2006 posts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
How Consensus Drives Bitcoin
June 4, 2013 by
Josh Kroll, Ian Davey and I have a new paper on the dynamics of Bitcoin, which we’re going to release in a few days. This post is the first in a series exploring our paper’s analysis of why Bitcoin works and what could derail it. Consensus drives Bitcoin. Like any fiat currency (a currency not […]
Let's stop Nigerian scams once and for good
April 17, 2013 by
A personal friend of mine’s Yahoo account was recently hacked by a Nigerian scammer. I know this because the email I got (“I’m stuck in the Philippines and need you to wire money”) had an IP address in a “Received” header that pointed squarely at Lagos, Nigeria. The modus operandi of these scammers is well […]
