Internet Security Myths, Misinformation, the NSA and Encryption

Internet security myths have gone through the roof recently. I even recently read an article on another website, that I won’t name because I’d rather not start a flame war, which took these myths and made them ‘facts.’ The most maddening thing was that the article had no back-up proof or references about the claims it made.

I’m going to look at a few points made in this other article as it will address a few common VPN facts, internet security myths and spying myths that are floating around out there.

Internet Security Myths, Misinformation and the Truth About the NSA

MI6 can hack your accounts any time they want

Saying that MI6 can hack into your account at anytime, even when you’re using a VPN, is wrong in many ways. Firstly, there is no MI6. It is now known as SIS. Furthermore, SIS doesn’t work in that sort of security context. The job of computer security is the domain of GCHQ, as they state on their About page.

Now, can either of these groups hack into your computer, through your VPN, and find out what you’re doing in real time? No. Absolutely not. To quote an article by Senior Reporter Kim Zetter of Wired.com, wherein she is speaking with Edward Snowden on security, Edward says:

“End-to-end encryption makes mass surveillance impossible at the network level.”

What offers end to end encryption? A VPN service, of course. Especially one like IPVanish with its high security standards, and no-logging policy. The article goes on to talk about how end to end encryption makes it so the NSA and hackers have to target specific individuals, rather than conduct mass surveillance at their leisure.

For further backup of encryption being secure, I turn to noted security expert Bruce Schneier in an article for Wired:

“Whatever the NSA has up its top-secret sleeves, the mathematics of cryptography will still be the most secure part of any encryption system.”

Has the NSA, or anyone else, really cracked internet encryption?

You’re probably picturing a group of people in business attire, hunched over in front of a bank of computers, working to hack encryption when you think of the NSA. You’d be wrong, they’re really just a group of thieves. What the NSA has really done to conduct mass surveillance is steal security keys and make backroom deals with vendors to sabotage the security they were suppose to be giving you.

For more on this, I turn to digital rights campaigner Cory Doctorow in a short tweet he sent out back when all of this NSA surveillance news broke:

All the headlines saying "#NSA breaks encryption" are wrong; correct phrase is "NSA works with vendors to sabotage security technology"

— Cory Doctorow GONE UNTIIL JUN 2 (@doctorow) September 6, 2013

The NSA simply can not decrypt 128-bit technology. What will it do? Steal security keys and work with the people who are suppose to have your best interests in mind to conduct mass surveillance on people who thought they were free.

One last quote on VPNs, security, the NSA, GCHQ and encryption

One last security expert, and NSA expert, that I wanted to quote had this to say:

“Encryption works. Properly implemented strong crypto systems are one of the few things that you can rely on. “

Who said this? Edward Snowden, former NSA operative and now the most famous truth teller on the planet. This is when he was talking to The Guardian shortly after he came out with his evidence. You don’t have to believe me if you don’t want to, but that is straight from the mouth of the man who is trying to put a stop to unethical mass surveillance.

Feature image asharkyu / Shutterstock