Stay secure with the latest encryption news, trends, and best practices in information security. Protect your data with cutting-edge cryptography.
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Background for this topic.
Encryption transforms readable data into ciphertext using an algorithm and a key, so someone who obtains the ciphertext cannot normally understand it without the required key. It protects confidentiality for data in transit, such as traffic between services, and at rest, such as files, databases, and backups. Encryption does not by itself prove who sent data, prevent tampering, or protect plaintext displayed on a compromised endpoint.
Its security therefore depends on implementation and key management. Attackers may target stolen, exposed, or overprivileged keys, weak algorithms or protocols, poor randomness, and systems that decrypt data unnecessarily. Use modern, authenticated encryption where appropriate; protect keys separately from encrypted data with tightly limited access, rotation and revocation procedures, and monitored use. Verify that encryption covers relevant backups and internal service links, while recognizing that lost keys can make recovery impossible and that encrypted traffic may still reveal metadata such as timing or endpoints.
Weekly headline count for the current query.
A new ransomware actor called Spirals completed a corporate intrusion, from initial access to data theft and encryption, in less than 24 hours. [...]
Microsoft announced today that it is accelerating its quantum-safe security roadmap, saying advances in quantum computing are bringing the need to replace today's encryption standards sooner than previously expected. [...]
The French government revealed that a recent breach of its Tchap encrypted messaging platform affects the accounts of over 73,000 employees in the French public sector. [...]
DINUM, the digital affairs directorate of the French government, warned that hackers used a hijacked user account to breach Tchap, the French government's encrypted messaging platform. [...]
Discord announced that all voice and video calls through the communication platform are now protected by default with end-to-end encryption (E2EE). [...]
West Pharmaceutical Services disclosed that it was the target of a cyberattack that resulted in data exfiltration and system encryption. [...]
Backups don't fail because they're missing, they fail because attackers destroy them first. Acronis explains how ransomware targets backup systems before encryption, leaving no path to recovery. [...]
Researchers are warning that the VECT 2.0 ransomware has a problem in the way it handles encryption nonces that leads to permanently destroying larger files rather than encrypt them. [...]
A new Kyber ransomware operation is targeting Windows systems and VMware ESXi endpoints in recent attacks, with one variant implementing Kyber1024 post-quantum encryption. [...]
New "Storm" infostealer skips local decryption, sending browser data to attacker servers. Varonis shows how server-side decryption enables session hijacking, bypassing passwords and MFA. [...]
Google says Gmail end-to-end encryption (E2EE) is now available on all Android and iOS devices, allowing enterprise users to read and compose emails without additional tools. [...]
Multi-extortion ransomware relies on stolen data to pressure victims with public leaks. Penta Security explains how its D.AMO platform keeps exfiltrated files encrypted and useless to attackers. [...]
An information stealer called VoidStealer uses a new approach to bypass Chrome's Application-Bound Encryption (ABE) and extract the master key for decrypting sensitive data stored in the browser. [...]
The FBI has issued a public service announcement warning that Russian intelligence-linked threat actors are actively targeting users of encrypted messaging apps such as Signal and WhatsApp in phishing campaigns that have already compromised thousands of accounts. [...]
Microsoft has fixed a known issue that prevented Microsoft 365 customers from opening encrypted emails in classic Outlook after a recent update. [...]
Modern ransomware has shifted from encryption to psychological extortion that exploits fear, liability, and exposure. Flare shows how today's ransomware groups weaponize stolen data and pressure tactics to force payment. [...]
Microsoft has confirmed a known issue that prevents recipients from opening encrypted emails in classic Outlook. [...]
Blockchain investigation firm TRM Labs says ongoing cryptocurrency thefts have been traced to the 2022 LastPass breach, with attackers draining wallets years after encrypted vaults were stolen and laundering the crypto through Russian exchanges. [...]
The RansomHouse ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) has recently upgraded its encryptor, switching from a relatively simple single-phase linear technique to a more complex, multi-layered method. [...]
The UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) fined the LastPass password management firm £1.2 million for failing to implement security measures that allowed an attacker to steal personal information and encrypted password vaults belonging to up to 1.6 million UK users in a 2022 breach. [...]