Encryption Debate, Apple's Paradise Papers, iPhone X - ACM 436

The false dichotomy that we must choose between privacy and safety when it comes to encryption has once again reared its ugly head, and Bryan and Jeff discuss why that’s so dangerous. They also look at how Apple was affected by the so-called Paradise Papers, and discuss Jeff’s initial impressions of the iPhone X. For added fun, Jeff mocks Bryan for not having his iPhone X yet.

Chinese Researches Find Way to Decrypt Satphone Calls in Near Real-Time

A new decryption method might allow people to decrypt satellite mobile phones—satphones—in near real-time. Chinese researchers published a paper describing a method that essentially finds shortcuts to decrypting the 64-bit encryption used by Inmarsat satphones, a popular brand. There’s all sorts of techno gobbledygook described in the paper (PDFBibTeX Citation), but the short version is they built on German research from 2012. And the shorter version, as noted by ZDNet, is that, “encrypted data could be cracked in a fraction of a second.” According to the researchers, this is due to “serious security flaws in the GMR-2 cipher” used in those specific satphones. The significance here is that encryption is an ever-evolving frontier, and that not all encrypted communications are truly secure. This is why it’s important for companies like Apple to put our personal security at the forefront.

Amazon's Echo Show, FBI's iPhone Hack Price Tag - TMO Daily Observations 2017-05-09

Amazon unveiled its Echo Show, and it has a display. Bryan Chaffin and the Maccast’s Adam Christianson join Jeff Gamet to share their reactions to Amazon’s newest Alexa device. They also have some thoughts on the unintended confirmation that the FBI paid $900,000 for the San Bernardino iPhone hack, plus Bryan coins “I’m gonna up that up.”

FBI Paid $900K for San Bernardino iPhone Hack

The FBI refused to ever share how much it paid for the hack into San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s iPhone, but thanks to Senator Diane Feinstein we now know the price was US$900,000. The Senator accidentally spilled the beans during a Judiciary Committee meeting on accessing encrypted data on smartphones and personal computers.

UK Anti-encryption Push, Woz at Startup World Cup - TMO Daily Observations 2017-03-27

There’s a new government call to for tech companies to let law enforcement bypass our security and encryption, but this time it’s from the United Kingdom. Bryan Chaffin and Jeff Butts join Jeff Gamet to look at the ramifications if the U.K. forces the issue, plus Bryan fills us in on Steve Wozniak’s presentation at Startup World Cup.

Web Pages as Apps, Equipment Insurance, and Photos! – Mac Geek Gab 649

Have a webpage you use all the time? Why not make that its own, separate app? Need to create Symbolic Links (symlinks) but don’t want to use the Terminal? How about if you want to get an equipment warranty for that new Synology NAS you just bought? That’s just a sampling of the things you’ll learn in the first segment of this week’s episode. There’s more, folks. Lots more! Press play and enjoy!