Betty Webb, a code breaker at Bletchley Park during World War II, has died at age 101. She worked in Hut 6, decrypting German Enigma messages, a vital contribution to the Allied war effort. After the war, she joined GCHQ, Britain's signals intelligence agency, before eventually leaving to raise a family. Her work at Bletchley Park remained secret for decades, highlighting the dedication and secrecy surrounding those involved in breaking the Enigma code.
Lehmer's continued fraction factorization algorithm offers a way to find factors of a composite integer n. It leverages the convergents of the continued fraction expansion of √n to generate pairs of integers x and y such that x² ≡ y² (mod n). If x is not congruent to ±y (mod n), then gcd(x-y, n) and gcd(x+y, n) will yield non-trivial factors of n. While not as efficient as more advanced methods like the general number field sieve, it provides a relatively simple approach to factorization and serves as a stepping stone towards understanding more complex techniques.
Hacker News users discuss Lehmer's algorithm, mostly focusing on its impracticality despite its mathematical elegance. Several commenters point out the exponential complexity, making it slower than trial division for realistically sized numbers. The discussion touches upon the algorithm's reliance on finding small quadratic residues, a process that becomes computationally expensive quickly. Some express interest in its historical significance and connection to other factoring methods, while others question the article's claim of it being "simple" given its actual complexity. A few users note the lack of practical applications, emphasizing its theoretical nature. The overall sentiment leans towards appreciation of the mathematical beauty of the algorithm but acknowledges its limited real-world use.
Fly.io's blog post details their experience implementing and using macaroons for authorization in their distributed system. They highlight macaroons' advantages, such as decentralized authorization and context-based access control, allowing fine-grained permissions without constant server-side checks. The post outlines the challenges they faced operationalizing macaroons, including managing key rotation, handling third-party caveats, and ensuring efficient verification, and explains their solutions using a centralized root key service and careful caveat design. Ultimately, Fly.io found macaroons effective for their use case, offering flexibility and performance improvements.
HN commenters generally praised the article for its clarity in explaining the complexities of macaroons. Some expressed their prior struggles understanding the concept and appreciated the author's approach. A few commenters discussed potential use cases beyond authorization, such as for building auditable systems and enforcing data governance policies. The extensibility and composability of macaroons were highlighted as key advantages. One commenter noted the comparison to JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) and suggested macaroons offered superior capabilities for fine-grained authorization, particularly in distributed systems. There was also brief discussion about alternative authorization mechanisms like SPIFFE and their relationship to macaroons.
Clean is a new domain-specific language (DSL) built in Lean 4 for formally verifying zero-knowledge circuits. It aims to bridge the gap between circuit development and formal verification by offering a high-level, functional programming style for defining circuits, along with automated proofs of correctness within Lean's powerful theorem prover. Clean compiles to the intermediate representation used by the Circom zk-SNARK toolkit, enabling practical deployment of verified circuits. This approach allows developers to write circuits in a clear, maintainable way, and rigorously prove that these circuits correctly implement the desired logic, enhancing security and trust in zero-knowledge applications. The DSL includes features like higher-order functions and algebraic data types, enabling more expressive and composable circuit design than existing tools.
Several Hacker News commenters praise Clean's innovative approach to verifying zero-knowledge circuits, appreciating its use of Lean4 for formal proofs and its potential to improve the security and reliability of ZK systems. Some express excitement about Lean4's dependent types and metaprogramming capabilities, and how they might benefit the project. Others raise practical concerns, questioning the performance implications of using a theorem prover for this purpose, and the potential difficulty of debugging generated circuits. One commenter questions the comparison to other frameworks like Noir and Arkworks, requesting clarification on the specific advantages of Clean. Another points out the relative nascency of formal verification in the ZK space, emphasizing the need for further development and exploration. A few users also inquire about the tooling and developer experience, wondering about the availability of IDE support and debugging tools for Clean.
"The Blood on the Keyboard" details the often-overlooked human cost of war reporting. Focusing on World War II correspondents, the article highlights the immense psychological toll exacted by witnessing and documenting constant violence, death, and suffering. These journalists, driven by a sense of duty and the need to inform the public, suppressed their trauma and emotions in order to file their stories, often working under perilous conditions with little support. This resulted in lasting psychological scars, including depression, anxiety, and what we now recognize as PTSD, impacting their lives long after the war ended. The article underscores that the news we consume comes at a price, paid not just in ink and paper, but also in the mental and emotional well-being of those who bring us these stories.
HN users discuss the complexities of judging historical figures by modern standards, particularly regarding Woodrow Wilson's racism. Some argue that while Wilson's views were reprehensible, they were common for his time, and judging him solely on that ignores his other contributions. Others counter that his racism had tangible, devastating consequences for Black Americans and shouldn't be excused. Several commenters highlight the selective application of this "presentism" argument, noting it's rarely used to defend figures reviled by the right. The discussion also touches on the role of historical narratives in shaping present-day understanding, and the importance of acknowledging the full scope of historical figures' actions, both good and bad. A few comments delve into specific examples of Wilson's racist policies and their impact.
Cloudflare has open-sourced OPKSSH, a tool that integrates single sign-on (SSO) with SSH, eliminating the need for managing individual SSH keys. OPKSSH achieves this by leveraging OpenID Connect (OIDC) and issuing short-lived SSH certificates signed by a central Certificate Authority (CA). This allows users to authenticate with their existing SSO credentials, simplifying access management and improving security by eliminating static, long-lived SSH keys. The project aims to standardize SSH certificate issuance and validation through a simple, open protocol, contributing to a more secure and user-friendly SSH experience.
HN commenters generally express interest in OpenPubkey but also significant skepticism and concerns. Several raise security implications around trusting a third party for SSH access and the potential for vendor lock-in. Some question the actual benefits over existing solutions like SSH certificates, agent forwarding, or using configuration management tools. Others see potential value in simplifying SSH key management, particularly for less technical users or in specific scenarios like ephemeral cloud instances. There's discussion around key discovery, revocation speed, and the complexities of supporting different identity providers. The closed-source nature of the server-side component is a common concern, limiting self-hosting options and requiring trust in Cloudflare. Several users also mention existing open-source projects with similar goals and question the need for another solution.
The blog post "Entropy Attacks" argues against blindly trusting entropy sources, particularly in cryptographic contexts. It emphasizes that measuring entropy based solely on observed outputs, like those from /dev/random, is insufficient for security. An attacker might manipulate or partially control the supposedly random source, leading to predictable outputs despite seemingly high entropy. The post uses the example of an attacker influencing the timing of network packets to illustrate how seemingly unpredictable data can still be exploited. It concludes by advocating for robust key-derivation functions and avoiding reliance on potentially compromised entropy sources, suggesting deterministic random bit generators (DRBGs) seeded with a high-quality initial seed as a preferable alternative.
The Hacker News comments discuss the practicality and effectiveness of entropy-reduction attacks, particularly in the context of Bernstein's blog post. Some users debate the real-world impact, pointing out that while theoretically interesting, such attacks often rely on unrealistic assumptions like attackers having precise timing information or access to specific hardware. Others highlight the importance of considering these attacks when designing security systems, emphasizing defense-in-depth strategies. Several comments delve into the technical details of entropy estimation and the challenges of accurately measuring it. A few users also mention specific examples of vulnerabilities related to insufficient entropy, like Debian's OpenSSL bug. The overall sentiment suggests that while these attacks aren't always easily exploitable, understanding and mitigating them is crucial for robust security.
This blog post explores the fascinating world of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), focusing on how they can verify computational integrity without revealing any underlying information. The author uses the examples of Sudoku solutions and Super Mario speedruns to illustrate this concept. A ZKP allows someone to prove they know a valid Sudoku solution or a specific sequence of controller inputs for a speedrun without disclosing the actual solution or inputs. The post explains that this is achieved through clever cryptographic techniques that encode the "knowledge" as mathematical relationships, enabling verification of adherence to rules (Sudoku) or game mechanics (Mario) without revealing the strategy or execution. This demonstrates how ZKPs offer a powerful mechanism for trust and verification in various applications, ensuring validity while preserving privacy.
Hacker News users generally praised the clarity and accessibility of the blog post explaining zero-knowledge proofs. Several commenters highlighted the effective use of Sudoku and Mario speedruns as relatable examples, making the complex topic easier to grasp. Some pointed out the post's concise explanation of the underlying cryptographic principles and appreciated the lack of overly technical jargon. One commenter noted the clever use of visually interactive elements within the Sudoku example. There was a brief discussion about different types of zero-knowledge proofs and their applications, with some users mentioning specific use cases like verifiable computation and blockchain technology. A few commenters also offered additional resources for readers interested in delving deeper into the subject.
NIST has chosen HQC (Hamming Quasi-Cyclic) as the fifth and final public-key encryption algorithm to standardize for post-quantum cryptography. HQC, based on code-based cryptography, offers small public key and ciphertext sizes, making it suitable for resource-constrained environments. This selection concludes NIST's multi-year effort to standardize quantum-resistant algorithms, adding HQC alongside the previously announced CRYSTALS-Kyber for general encryption, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, FALCON, and SPHINCS+ for digital signatures. These algorithms are designed to withstand attacks from both classical and quantum computers, ensuring long-term security in a future with widespread quantum computing capabilities.
HN commenters discuss NIST's selection of HQC, expressing surprise and skepticism. Several highlight HQC's vulnerability to side-channel attacks and question its suitability despite its speed advantages. Some suggest SPHINCS+ as a more robust, albeit slower, alternative. Others note the practical implications of the selection, including the need for hybrid approaches and the potential impact on existing systems. The relatively small key and ciphertext sizes of HQC are also mentioned as positive attributes. A few commenters delve into the technical details of HQC and its underlying mathematical principles. Overall, the sentiment leans towards cautious interest in HQC, acknowledging its strengths while emphasizing its vulnerabilities.
The paper "Constant-time coding will soon become infeasible" argues that maintaining constant-time implementations for cryptographic algorithms is becoming increasingly challenging due to evolving hardware and software environments. The authors demonstrate that seemingly innocuous compiler optimizations and speculative execution can introduce timing variability, even in carefully crafted constant-time code. These issues are exacerbated by the complexity of modern processors and the difficulty of fully understanding their intricate behaviors. Consequently, the paper concludes that guaranteeing constant-time execution across different architectures and compiler versions is nearing impossibility, potentially jeopardizing the security of cryptographic implementations relying on this property to prevent timing attacks. They suggest exploring alternative mitigation strategies, such as masking and blinding, as more robust defenses against side-channel vulnerabilities.
HN commenters discuss the implications of the research paper, which suggests constant-time programming will become increasingly difficult due to hardware optimizations like speculative execution. Several express concern about the future of cryptography and security-sensitive code, as these rely heavily on constant-time implementations to prevent side-channel attacks. Some doubt the practicality of the attack described, citing existing mitigations and the complexity of exploiting microarchitectural side channels. Others propose software-based defenses, such as using interpreter-based languages, formal verification, or inserting random delays. The feasibility and cost of deploying these mitigations are also debated, with some arguing that the burden will fall disproportionately on developers. There's also skepticism about the paper's claims of "infeasibility," with commenters suggesting that constant-time coding will become more challenging but not impossible.
This blog post explores how a Certificate Authority (CA) could maliciously issue a certificate with a valid signature but an impossibly distant expiration date, far beyond the CA's own validity period. This "fake future" certificate wouldn't trigger typical browser warnings because the signature checks out. However, by comparing the certificate's notAfter date with Signed Certificate Timestamps (SCTs) from publicly auditable logs, inconsistencies can be detected. These SCTs provide proof of inclusion in a log at a specific time, effectively acting as a timestamp for when the certificate was issued. If the SCT is newer than the CA's validity period but the certificate claims an older issuance date within that validity period, it indicates potential foul play. The post further demonstrates how this discrepancy can be checked programmatically using open-source tools.
Hacker News users discuss the practicality and implications of the blog post's method for detecting malicious Sub-CAs. Several commenters point out the difficulty of implementing this at scale due to the computational cost and potential performance impact of checking every certificate against a large CRL set. Others express concerns about the feasibility of maintaining an up-to-date list of suspect CAs, given their dynamic nature. Some question the overall effectiveness, arguing that sophisticated attackers could circumvent such checks. A few users suggest alternative approaches like using DNSSEC and DANE, or relying on operating system trust stores. The overall sentiment leans toward acknowledging the validity of the author's points while remaining skeptical of the proposed solution's real-world applicability.
Noise Explorer is a web tool for designing and visualizing cryptographic handshake patterns based on the Noise Protocol Framework. It allows users to interactively select pre-defined patterns or create custom ones by specifying initiator and responder actions, such as sending static keys, ephemeral keys, or performing Diffie-Hellman key exchanges. The tool dynamically generates a visual representation of the handshake, showing message flow, key derivation, and the resulting security properties. This aids in understanding the chosen pattern's security implications and facilitates the selection of an appropriate pattern for a given application.
HN users discussed the practicality and novelty of the noise explorer tool. Some found it a helpful visualization for understanding the handshake process in different noise protocols, appreciating its interactive nature and clear presentation. Others questioned its usefulness beyond educational purposes, doubting its applicability to real-world debugging scenarios. There was also a discussion about the complexity of Noise Protocol itself, with some arguing for simpler alternatives and others highlighting Noise's flexibility and security benefits. Finally, some comments explored the potential for future improvements, such as visualizing different handshake patterns simultaneously or incorporating more detailed cryptographic information.
The post "Learn How to Break AES" details a hands-on educational tool for exploring vulnerabilities in simplified versions of the AES block cipher. It provides a series of interactive challenges where users can experiment with various attack techniques, like differential and linear cryptanalysis, against weakened AES implementations. By manipulating parameters like the number of rounds and key size, users can observe how these changes affect the cipher's security and practice applying cryptanalytic methods to recover the encryption key. The tool aims to demystify advanced cryptanalysis concepts by providing a visual and interactive learning experience, allowing users to understand the underlying principles of these attacks and the importance of a full-strength AES implementation.
HN commenters discuss the practicality and limitations of the "block breaker" attack described in the article. Some express skepticism, pointing out that the attack requires specific circumstances and doesn't represent a practical break of AES. Others highlight the importance of proper key derivation and randomness, reinforcing that the attack exploits weaknesses in implementation rather than the AES algorithm itself. Several comments delve into the technical details, discussing the difference between a chosen-plaintext attack and a known-plaintext attack, as well as the specific conditions under which the attack could be successful. The overall consensus seems to be that while interesting, the "block breaker" is not a significant threat to AES security when implemented correctly. Some appreciate the visualization and explanation provided by the article, finding it helpful for understanding block cipher vulnerabilities in general.
This project introduces a JPEG image compression service that incorporates partially homomorphic encryption (PHE) to enable compression on encrypted images without decryption. Leveraging the somewhat homomorphic nature of certain encryption schemes, specifically the Paillier cryptosystem, the service allows for operations like Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) and quantization on encrypted data. While fully homomorphic encryption remains computationally expensive, this approach provides a practical compromise, preserving privacy while still permitting some image processing in the encrypted domain. The resulting compressed image remains encrypted, requiring the appropriate key for decryption and viewing.
Hacker News users discussed the practicality and novelty of the JPEG compression service using homomorphic encryption. Some questioned the real-world use cases, given the significant performance overhead compared to standard JPEG compression. Others pointed out that the homomorphic encryption only applies to the DCT coefficients and not the entire JPEG pipeline, limiting the actual privacy benefits. The most compelling comments highlighted this limitation, suggesting that true end-to-end encryption would be more valuable but acknowledging the difficulty of achieving that with current homomorphic encryption technology. There was also skepticism about the claimed 10x speed improvement, with requests for more detailed benchmarks and comparisons to existing methods. Some commenters expressed interest in the potential applications, such as privacy-preserving image processing in medical or financial contexts.
Signal's cryptography is generally well-regarded, using established and vetted protocols like X3DH and Double Ratchet for secure messaging. The blog post author reviewed Signal's implementation and found it largely sound, praising the clarity of the documentation and the overall design. While some minor theoretical improvements were suggested, like using a more modern key derivation function (HKDF over SHA-256) and potentially exploring post-quantum cryptography for future-proofing, the author concludes that Signal's current cryptographic choices are robust and secure, offering strong confidentiality and integrity protections for users.
Hacker News users discussed the Signal cryptography review, mostly agreeing with the author's points. Several highlighted the importance of Signal's Double Ratchet algorithm and the trade-offs involved in achieving strong security while maintaining usability. Some questioned the practicality of certain theoretical attacks, emphasizing the difficulty of exploiting them in the real world. Others discussed the value of formal verification efforts and the overall robustness of Signal's protocol design despite minor potential vulnerabilities. The conversation also touched upon the importance of accessible security audits and the challenges of maintaining privacy in messaging apps.
The post "XOR" explores the remarkable versatility of the exclusive-or (XOR) operation in computer programming. It highlights XOR's utility in a variety of contexts, from cryptography (simple ciphers) and data manipulation (swapping variables without temporary storage) to graphics programming (drawing lines and circles) and error detection (parity checks). The author emphasizes XOR's fundamental mathematical properties, like its self-inverting nature (A XOR B XOR B = A) and commutativity, demonstrating how these properties enable elegant and efficient solutions to seemingly complex problems. Ultimately, the post advocates for a deeper appreciation of XOR as a powerful tool in any programmer's arsenal.
HN users discuss various applications and interpretations of XOR. Some highlight its reversibility and use in cryptography, while others explain its role in parity checks and error detection. A few comments delve into its connection with addition and subtraction in binary arithmetic. The thread also explores the efficiency of XOR in comparison to other bitwise operations and its utility in situations requiring toggling, such as graphics programming. Some users share personal anecdotes of using XOR for tasks like swapping variables without temporary storage. A recurring theme is the elegance and simplicity of XOR, despite its power and versatility.
The blog post explores the challenges of establishing trust in decentralized systems, particularly focusing on securely bootstrapping communication between two untrusting parties. It proposes a solution using QUIC and 2-party relays to create a verifiable path of encrypted communication. This involves one party choosing a relay server they trust and communicating that choice (and associated relay authentication information) to the other party. This second party can then, regardless of whether they trust the chosen relay, securely establish communication through the relay using QUIC's built-in cryptographic mechanisms. This setup ensures end-to-end encryption and authenticates both parties, allowing them to build trust and exchange further information necessary for direct peer-to-peer communication, ultimately bypassing the relay.
Hacker News users discuss the complexity and potential benefits of the proposed trust bootstrapping system using 2-party relays and QUIC. Some express skepticism about its practicality and the added overhead compared to existing solutions like DNS and HTTPS. Concerns are raised regarding the reliance on relay operators, potential centralization, and performance implications. Others find the idea intriguing, particularly its potential for censorship resistance and improved privacy, acknowledging that it represents a significant departure from established internet infrastructure. The discussion also touches upon the challenges of key distribution, the suitability of QUIC for this purpose, and the need for robust relay discovery mechanisms. Several commenters highlight the difficulty of achieving true decentralization and the risk of malicious relays. A few suggest alternative approaches like blockchain-based solutions or mesh networking. Overall, the comments reveal a mixed reception to the proposal, with some excitement tempered by pragmatic concerns about its feasibility and security implications.
Latacora's blog post "How (not) to sign a JSON object" cautions against signing JSON by stringifying it before applying a signature. This approach is vulnerable to attacks that modify whitespace or key ordering, which changes the string representation without altering the JSON's semantic meaning. The correct method involves canonicalizing the JSON object first – transforming it into a standardized, consistent byte representation – before signing. This ensures the signature validates only identical JSON objects, regardless of superficial formatting differences. The post uses examples to demonstrate the vulnerabilities of naive stringification and advocates using established JSON Canonicalization Schemes (JCS) for robust and secure signing.
HN commenters largely agree with the author's points about the complexities and pitfalls of signing JSON objects. Several highlighted the importance of canonicalization before signing, with some mentioning specific libraries like JWS and json-canonicalize to ensure consistent formatting. The discussion also touches upon alternatives like JWT (JSON Web Tokens) and COSE (CBOR Object Signing and Encryption) as potentially better solutions, particularly JWT for its ease of use in web contexts. Some commenters delve into the nuances of JSON's flexibility, which can make secure signing difficult, such as varying key order and whitespace handling. A few also caution against rolling your own cryptographic solutions and advocate for using established libraries where possible.
Microsoft's blog post announces changes to their Go distribution starting with Go 1.24 to better align with Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS). While previous versions offered a partially FIPS-compliant mode, Go 1.24 introduces a fully compliant distribution built with the BoringCrypto module, ensuring all cryptographic operations adhere to FIPS 140-3. This change requires updating import paths for affected packages and may introduce minor breaking changes for some users. Microsoft provides guidance and tooling to help developers transition smoothly to the new FIPS-compliant distribution, encouraging adoption for enhanced security.
HN commenters discuss the implications of Microsoft's decision to ship a FIPS-compliant Go distribution. Some express concern about the potential for reduced performance and increased complexity due to the use of the BoringCrypto module. Others question the actual value of FIPS compliance, particularly in Go where the standard crypto library is already considered secure. There's discussion around the specific cryptographic primitives affected and whether the move is driven by government contract requirements. A few commenters appreciate Microsoft's contribution, seeing it as a positive step for Go's adoption in regulated environments. Some also speculate about the possibility of this change eventually becoming the default in Go's standard library.
The Okta bcrypt incident highlights crucial API design flaws that allowed attackers to bypass account lockout mechanisms. By accepting hashed passwords directly, Okta's API inadvertently circumvented its own security measures. This emphasizes the danger of exposing low-level cryptographic primitives in APIs, as it creates attack vectors that developers might not anticipate. The post advocates for abstracting away such complexities, forcing users to interact with higher-level authentication flows that enforce intended security policies, like lockout mechanisms and rate limiting. This abstraction simplifies security reasoning and reduces the potential for bypasses by ensuring all authentication attempts are subject to consistent security controls, regardless of how the password is presented.
Several commenters on Hacker News praised the original post for its clear explanation of the Okta bcrypt incident and the proposed solutions. Some highlighted the importance of designing APIs that enforce correct usage and prevent accidental misuse, particularly with security-sensitive operations like password hashing. The discussion touched on the tradeoffs between API simplicity and robustness, with some arguing for more opinionated APIs that guide developers towards best practices. Others shared similar experiences with poorly designed APIs leading to security vulnerabilities. A few commenters also questioned Okta's specific implementation choices and debated the merits of different hashing algorithms. Overall, the comments reflected a general agreement with the author's points about the need for more thoughtful API design to prevent similar incidents in the future.
This blog post explores methods for proving false statements within formal systems like logic and mathematics. It focuses on proof by contradiction, where you assume the statement is true and then demonstrate that this assumption leads to a logical inconsistency, thereby proving the original statement false. The post uses the example of proving the irrationality of √2, illustrating how assuming its rationality (expressibility as a fraction) ultimately contradicts the fundamental theorem of arithmetic. It highlights the importance of clearly defining the terms and axioms of the system within which the proof operates.
Hacker News users discuss the potential misuse of zero-knowledge proofs (ZKPs), expressing concern that they could be used to convincingly lie or create fraudulent attestations. Some commenters highlight the importance of distinguishing between a ZKP verifying a computation versus verifying a real-world fact. They argue that while ZKPs can prove the correct execution of a program on given inputs, they cannot inherently prove the veracity of those inputs. Others discuss the "garbage in, garbage out" principle in this context, suggesting the need for robust, real-world verification methods alongside ZKPs to prevent their misuse. The trustworthiness of the prover remains crucial, and ZKPs alone cannot bridge the gap between computation and reality. A few comments also touch upon the complexity of understanding and implementing ZKPs correctly, potentially leading to vulnerabilities.
Colossus, built at Bletchley Park during World War II, was the world's first large-scale, programmable, electronic digital computer. Its purpose was to break the complex Lorenz cipher used by the German High Command. Unlike earlier code-breaking machines, Colossus used thermionic valves (vacuum tubes) for high-speed processing and could be programmed electronically via switches and plugboards, enabling it to perform boolean operations and count patterns at a significantly faster rate. This dramatically reduced the time required to decipher Lorenz messages, providing crucial intelligence to the Allied forces. Though top-secret for decades after the war, Colossus's innovative design and impact on computing history are now recognized.
HN commenters discuss Colossus's significance as the first programmable electronic digital computer, contrasting it with ENIAC, which was re-wired for each task. Several highlight Tommy Flowers' crucial role in its design and construction. Some discuss the secrecy surrounding Colossus during and after the war, impacting public awareness of its existence and contribution to computing history. Others mention the challenges of wartime technology and the impressive speed improvements Colossus offered over previous decryption methods. A few commenters share resources like the Colossus rebuild project and personal anecdotes about visiting the National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park.
The blog post "Let's talk about AI and end-to-end encryption" explores the perceived conflict between the benefits of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and the potential of AI. While some argue that E2EE hinders AI's ability to analyze data for valuable insights or detect harmful content, the author contends this is a false dichotomy. They highlight that AI can still operate on encrypted data using techniques like homomorphic encryption, federated learning, and secure multi-party computation, albeit with performance trade-offs. The core argument is that preserving E2EE is crucial for privacy and security, and perceived limitations in AI functionality shouldn't compromise this fundamental protection. Instead of weakening encryption, the focus should be on developing privacy-preserving AI techniques that work with E2EE, ensuring both security and the responsible advancement of AI.
Hacker News users discussed the feasibility and implications of client-side scanning for CSAM in end-to-end encrypted systems. Some commenters expressed skepticism about the technical challenges and potential for false positives, highlighting the difficulty of distinguishing between illegal content and legitimate material like educational resources or artwork. Others debated the privacy implications and potential for abuse by governments or malicious actors. The "slippery slope" argument was raised, with concerns that seemingly narrow use cases for client-side scanning could expand to encompass other types of content. The discussion also touched on the limitations of hashing as a detection method and the possibility of adversarial attacks designed to circumvent these systems. Several commenters expressed strong opposition to client-side scanning, arguing that it fundamentally undermines the purpose of end-to-end encryption.
iOS 18 introduces homomorphic encryption for some Siri features, allowing on-device processing of encrypted audio requests without decrypting them first. This enhances privacy by preventing Apple from accessing the raw audio data. Specifically, it uses a fully homomorphic encryption scheme to transform audio into a numerical representation amenable to encrypted computations. These computations generate an encrypted Siri response, which is then sent to Apple servers for decryption and delivery back to the user. While promising improved privacy, the post raises concerns about potential performance impacts and the specific details of the implementation, which Apple hasn't fully disclosed.
Hacker News users discussed the practical implications and limitations of homomorphic encryption in iOS 18. Several commenters expressed skepticism about Apple's actual implementation and its effectiveness, questioning whether it's fully homomorphic encryption or a more limited form. Performance overhead and restricted use cases were also highlighted as potential drawbacks. Some pointed out that the touted benefits, like encrypted search and image classification, might be achievable with existing techniques, raising doubts about the necessity of homomorphic encryption for these tasks. A few users noted the potential security benefits, particularly regarding protecting user data from cloud providers, but the overall sentiment leaned towards cautious optimism pending further details and independent analysis. Some commenters linked to additional resources explaining the complexities and current state of homomorphic encryption research.
Summary of Comments ( 4 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43546236
HN commenters offer condolences and share further details about Betty Webb's life and wartime contributions at Bletchley Park. Several highlight her humility, noting she rarely spoke of her work, even to family. Some commenters discuss the vital yet secretive nature of Bletchley Park's operations, and the remarkable contributions of the women who worked there, many of whom are only now being recognized. Others delve into the specific technologies used at Bletchley, including the Colossus Mark 2 computer, with which Webb worked. A few commenters also share links to obituaries and other relevant information.
The Hacker News post "Bletchley code breaker Betty Webb dies aged 101" has several comments remembering and honoring Betty Webb's contributions during World War II.
Several commenters express admiration for her work at Bletchley Park, highlighting the crucial role code breakers played in the war effort and the secrecy surrounding their work for decades. Some comments mention the significant impact these individuals had on the outcome of the war, often working long hours under intense pressure. There's a sense of gratitude for their service and sacrifice.
One commenter specifically reflects on the vast number of people involved in the war effort beyond the front lines, with Bletchley Park being a prime example of this often unseen contribution. They contemplate the untold stories and individual experiences of those who served in such capacities.
Another commenter mentions the human aspect of Bletchley Park, pointing out that it wasn't solely a place of mathematical genius, but also a place where young people lived and worked, experiencing both triumphs and tragedies. They highlight the personal sacrifices made, including lost relationships and postponed lives.
A few comments share personal anecdotes or connections to individuals who worked at Bletchley Park, adding a personal touch to the overall discussion and demonstrating the lasting impact of this historical site.
One comment mentions specific technologies used at Bletchley Park, sparking a small discussion about the Colossus computer and its role in breaking the Lorenz cipher. This provides some technical context for the discussion, highlighting the innovative nature of the work done there.
Overall, the comments reflect a shared sense of respect and appreciation for Betty Webb and her colleagues at Bletchley Park. They underscore the historical significance of their work, the personal sacrifices involved, and the importance of remembering their contributions.