For almost two decades, the open source GnuPG encryption project has teetered on the brink of insolvency. Now, following word of that plight, the lone developer keeping the project alive has received more than $135,000. Short for Gnu Privacy Guard, GnuPG or simply GPG was first conceived in 1997. It makes up the guts that run GpG4Win, GPG Tools, and Enigmail, encryption programs that run on Windows, Macs, and as a plugin for the Thunderbird e-mail program respectively. An open source version of Phil Zimmermann's PGP, GnuPG quickly surged in popularity. Because it was written by a German citizen outside the US, it wasn't subject to then-draconian US laws restricting the export of strong cryptography technologies. Former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden relied on the program to evade monitoring as he carried out his massive leak of top-secret documents. Many journalists and security professionals also swear by it.. GnuPG, a free software cryptographic tool, secures fresh funding post-financial struggle, but faces emerging hurdles going forward.. GnuPG, Encryption Software, Open Source Project, GPG Tools, Security Standards. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Most badges from conferences and trade shows end up in the trash. Not so the badges from the Defcon security show, which are stylized, mysterious, and highly customized electronics equipment designed to be hacked.. Instead, they end up as collector's items. Bidding on eBay for a Defcon 17 badge from last weekend had reached $81 on Tuesday with three days to go, while a 2007 badge was at $33.99. The Defcon badges and badge hacking contest, both highly anticipated at the conference each summer, not only give the hackers a mental challenge to figure out what the devices are capable of doing, but they serve as tools for participants to demonstrate their talent at coming up with innovative hacks. The link for this article located at CNET is no longer available. . Conference badges evolve from ordinary credentials to coveted collectibles, featuring distinctive puzzles for tech aficionados.. Defcon Badge Hacking, Unique Electronics, Innovative Challenges. . Anthony Pell
According to our recent Security Staffing survey, IT security executives believe their organizatons are in greater jeopardy due to staffing shortages than their peers that oversee corporate security. Additionally, IT uses flex time and training as a motivator more so than corporate security executives. Corporate security organizations outsource more than IT security departments and the most frequently outsourced positions were security guards and guard management, while IT security were more likely to outsource data back up and biometrics. . Our study asked about both corporate security staffing issues and also IT security issues. The results shown here are based on the responses of 218 security professionals. Fifty-two percent of respondents had responsibility for IT security while 22 percent were in charge of corporate security. Twenty-six percent had responsibility for both. The link for this article located at CSOOnline is no longer available. . Our Security Personnel Assessment highlights significant challenges in IT and enterprise security workforce management, along with potential solutions for external services. Security Staffing, IT Security Challenges, Corporate Security, Outsourced Roles. . Benjamin D. Thomas
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