The GNU is one of many licenses that is used in the software world to ensure that software programming may be distributed and protected correctly. Someone who is working in the open source world will benefit quite a lot from the GNU because of the way that is uses its rights. This is a copyleft license that will ensure the user can distribute only under the original license terms. Someone who is working under the GNU will not be exploited by software companies because their work can only be distributed in the same manner as the original program. This is much safer for many different people who are working on the fringes of the industry, and there are companies such as the Linux kernel that are doing quite well under this license because it is much safer for them over the course of the years to be free to distribute as their original programming was.

Any Later Version

There is an Any Later Version clause in this license that ensures that someone who is developing their software may have it apply to any later version of the same program. Someone who needs to be protected because of the development of multiple versions will use the GNU because they know that it is much safer than trying to get a new license every time something comes up. There are many people who get turned around because they are talked into business deals after their first license, and they could be exploited easily. The Any Later Version clause will ensure that all these companies are treated properly long after they have come out with their first version of their software. They are hoping to operate free of big companies, and they depend on this license to safeguard them and their intellectual property.

The Free Software Community Grows

The free software community has been using the GNU for some time, and they have had a hand in ensuring that the license is updated. It was updated last in 2007 to ensure that software companies could not exploit people using the patents of products against their owners. These companies had to be stopped from using the software that was created without servicing later versions. The changes that were made to the GNU ensured that all large software companies had to honor the free software developers who created these programs, and they were forced to allow these companies to upgrade as many times as they wanted. There was no money in it for large software companies, but the GNU allows these two communities to co-exist as the free developers are protected so that they may do their work without the fear of profits overriding their good judgement and decency.

In recent years, words, terms, and concepts have been introduced into the world’s vernacular that most of us find difficult if not impossible to understand. The explanation of these words and phrases are the future of our society.

Cryptocurrency, the blockchain, and cryptography are in their infancy. Physical money is becoming antiquated. Borders between corporations and societies are breaking down. Cryptocurrencies and de-centralized networks will occupy the void left by the end of paper money. Blockchains are recognized by some of the largest enterprises in the world for encryption technology and resistance to intrusion.

The cryptocurrency blockchain requires four indispensable properties when applying a digital signature in transactions.

• The signer of the transaction must be verifiable.
• Each signature along the chain cannot be forged.
• Signatures are deemed final. The signature cannot be associated with any other identity.
• It should be computationally impossible to procure a private key from a public key.

Quantum computing, although years away from practical application, is perceived as a menace to break any current encryption technology. Cryptocurrencies and the blockchain are choosing a forward-looking sentiment to the computational capability of quantum computers. Algorithms are now branded as quantum-resistant.

Introduction to Elliptic Curve Cryptography

Each block in a blockchain requires a cryptographic key to the preceding block. Other conditions must be satisfied. However, cryptography is the glue that holds the chain together. Digital transactions are growing exponentially.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography is a compilation of algorithms for encrypting and decrypting data. ECC is one of the most formidable and extensively used encrypting methods. An ever-growing list of websites secures customers HTTPS connections on the ECC standard. The ECC encryption method is being utilized by these same websites to interact with their data centers and other corporations.

In 1977, the contemporary era of cryptography began when two new algorithms were proposed, the RSA and Diffie-Hellman. These new designs were radical in their approach. The cryptographic security was based on numbers. Dual_EC_DRBG is the cryptographic standard accepted by the NSA. The function uses elliptic curve mathematics. The process generates a sequence of arbitrary numbers. These numbers start from a seed formed by an algebraic calculation.

Securing Your Digital Signature

There is blistering criticism from cryptographers, acclaimed mathematicians, and security experts. The RSA encryption standard endorsed by the NSA has a backdoor function. The backdoor was revealed by documents provided by former NSA subcontractor Edward Snowden. Many have recommended, not to employ the RSA method.

Elliptic Curve Cryptography offers compelling improvements over the RSA standard. The most unique being, the key size is considerably smaller than the RSA encryption approach. Also, cryptocurrencies prefer the ECC because of the efficiencies the method provides. The NIST and National Security Agency now uphold the 384-bit ECC encryption model. Both agencies allow top-secret documents to be encrypted with ECC.

The ECC method is useful to cryptocurrencies not solely for the size but also the trapdoor function. This trapdoor is based on the infeasibility of determining a point on an elliptic curve. The approach is Point Multiplication. The operation successively adds a point along an elliptic curve out to infinity. The National Security Agency says it would need a 7680-bit key to solve the ECC method. The NSA has declared it is moving away from the ECC standard to a newer collection of ciphers. These new encryption mechanisms are because of the inevitability of quantum power breaking any type of code.

There is constant news coverage of credit card identities stolen, bank records compromised, and identity theft. Consumers have become jaded to relentless headlines, of our privileged information stolen. Is this the new normal?

The statistics are shocking. 18% of all healthcare employees are prepared to sell patient data, 24% know of an employee who sold confidential material. Apple employees have been offered as high as $23,000 for privileged access credentials. A staff member at Honeywell, furious at not receiving a raise, was caught selling satellite tracking data. He assumed the client was a Mexican drug cartel, not the DEA.

The dark web is now firmly ingrained as a global marketplace for procuring and selling of privileged credentials. Hackers no longer break into secure digital systems, they log in, allowing for unfettered access to company data.

Digital Companies see cyber-security as a second-tier cost, only to be increased if a threat occurs. Profitable companies usually are cutting cyber-security costs. Government data to big Hollywood studios are seeing their assets being compromised. There must be consistent authentication policies across the corporate landscape, while providing the access employees, customers, and partners need.

Zero Trust Security (ZTS)

Dated security methods are not functioning. Businesses having significant digital footprints are seeing attacks increasing exponentially. The Zero Trust Security protocol ensures every device, login attempt and requested service are being verified through the Next-gen Access initiative. NGA is a digital business application coordinating login and resource request management. The technology recognizes every device and user.

There are four pillars to the ZTS protocol:

• Never trust anyone, anything and always verify. This fundamental policy requires everyone in the organization to be verified before granting access into the system.
• Endpoints must be authenticated. Before granting access to the system, the user must log in from a prior trusted device. If not, the login requires a multi-factor authentication.
• The system grants the user only the access given to them when the account is set up. Company employees are set up on a tiered system. The level of access allowed is fixed. No more, no less.
• The process is constantly learning. The platform learns user behavior, login attempts, access control, and policy adjustment.

What is the Future of Security for Digital Companies?

William Saito believes there are two types of enterprises in the world. Ones who have been hacked and the ones who do not know they are being hacked. Saito is accepted as a world authority on encryption, biometric authentication, and cyber-security. William Saito reports directly to the prime minister of Japan and sits on the Council for National Strategy.

Companies with large digital footprints must mature. Traditional corporate security is not working. Employees work remotely around the world, logging into a vulnerable network with unrecognized devices. Identity has turned into the new security protocol. Only an individual’s biometrics can be relied upon when logging into a company network.

William Saito believes an all-encompassing strategy must be established now. This strategy must start immediately before it is too late, and users no longer trust any of their screens. Saito says, the internet is expanding quicker than anyone, or any corporation can keep up with. Most security controls are added haphazardly rather than from the ground up.

Unless the issue of trust identity is not dealt with now, the ensuing failure and costs will be massive.

36% of the world’s population has access to a smartphone. This figure represents approximately 2 billion users, and ownership is flourishing. Consider, each user may have at least one account they log into, such as email. Add three, five or 10 accounts, and you start to realize the issue.

Companies have done a great job protecting initial access to your phone, such as Facial and fingerprint scanning. However, what takes place once you are logged in? The modern smartphone platform is more than just a phone. For some, it is their bread and butter. Without their device, they would lose business contacts, bank accounts, and current news. Few users do a satisfactory job of backing up data on their smartphones.

Hackers work overtime to gain access to your phone and home computer. With each new software update, devious computer science engineers immediately work to circumvent the system. Blue-chip computer scientists see the future of smartphone security as hardware isolation. The operating system, apps, and alternative components are merely a pass-through to where true credentials are locked away, the hardware.

Future of Smartphone Security

The issue of protecting your smartphone is immense. Biometric scanning is doing an outstanding job of individual access. Millions of smartphone users rely exclusively on password managers and other apps to secure their most crucial information. Homeowners use their phone to manage home lighting, appliances, and more importantly home security.

Think-tanks around the world are scrutinizing these issues from a global perspective. Big players in technology are constantly looking for platforms that secure your phone, bank accounts and also remember to turn off the lights. Home integrations with smartphone technology are a vast global market; it is also very fragmented. AI (artificial intelligence) continues to be adopted into the devices we use every day and voice control is predicted to bring all these technologies under one umbrella.

Identifying threats has become more difficult. Malicious software is being cloaked in useful apps, and users are completely unaware or incapable of dealing with these risks. It has become essential to every smartphone user to go above and beyond traditional methods to protect their data.

ReCRED

One such company at the cutting edge of smartphone security is ReCRED (Real-world Identities to Privacy-preserving and Attribute-based CREDentials). The platform seeks to eliminate the need for passwords or pins to log into each of the services we use. The unique approach, developed by a global team of scientists, wants to link all accounts to a specific biometric identity.

Password overload affects us all. Advancing the usability of smartphones is the principal goal of firms such as ReCRED. The system is based on individual smartphones and their users. The architecture uses each cell-phone as a proxy. Meaning, your phone is an intermediary to all the accounts you use. ReCRED and comparable companies seek to be the lone point of login for your digital world. With this model, the user grants explicit rights to manage the security of your phone. ReCRED attempts to limit access across the platform such as email. Verifying your email would no longer be allowed because too much of the user’s identity would be disclosed.

Most experts regard the hardware isolation model as the only correct approach to withstand the increasing threat of attacks and data vulnerabilities. Separating data and computational processes within hardware containers is the only way to make your smartphone impervious to attack.