Apr 10, 2018
Riana Pfefferkorn: The Emerging Trend of 'Side-Channel Cryptanalysis' (Ep. 133)
Bio
Riana Pfefferkorn (@Riana_Crypto) is the Cryptography Fellow at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society. Her work, made possible through funding from the Stanford Cyber Initiative, focuses on investigating and analyzing the U.S. government's policy and practices for forcing decryption and/or influencing crypto-related design of online platforms and services, devices, and products, both via technical means and through the courts and legislatures. Riana also researches the benefits and detriments of strong encryption on free expression, political engagement, economic development, and other public interests.
Prior to joining Stanford, Riana was an associate in the Internet Strategy & Litigation group at the law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where she worked on litigation and counseling matters involving online privacy, Internet intermediary liability, consumer protection, copyright, trademark, and trade secrets and was actively involved in the firm's pro bono program. Before that, Riana clerked for the Honorable Bruce J. McGiverin of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. She also interned during law school for the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Riana earned her law degree from the University of Washington School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Whitman College.
Resources
The Risks of Responsible Encryption by Riana Pfefferkorn
Riana Pfefferkorn, Everything Radiates: Does the Fourth Amendment Regulate Side-Channel Cryptanalysis? 49 Connecticut Law Review 1393 (2017)
Generation Wealth by Laura Greenfield
News Roundup
Facebook still in hot water
Facebook is still managing the onslaught following revelations that Cambridge Analytica allegedly used Facebook data to sway the 2016 presidential election in favor of Donald Trump. Faceboook upped the number of users whose data Cambridge Analytica acquired by 37 million to 87 million. Originally, Facebook reported that just 50 million users were affected. In addition, Facebook has had to suspend yet another data analytics firm, CubeYou, for collecting information via quizzes, as Michelle Castillo reports in CNBC. CubeYou misleadingly told users that it was collecting their data for “non-profit academic research”, but it turns out CubeYou was in fact sharing the information with marketers.
Facebook said Friday that it will now require buyers of ads related to controversial political topics like gun control and immigration, to confirm their location and identity. Facebook is due to testify before the Senate Judiciary and Commerce committees on Tuesday, and the House Energry and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, David Shepardson reports in Reuters.
Backpage.com founders indicted
A federal grand jury in Arizona indicted seven Backpage founders on 93 counts of facilitating prostitution and money laundering on Monday.The indictment states that many of the ads on Backpage were of child sex trafficking victims. Federal agents seized Backpage on Friday, and raided the home of Backpage co-founder, Michael Lacey. Last month, Congress passed changes to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to provide that websites may be held liable for knowingly facilitating users’ ability to post illegal content.
Best Buy reports possible data breach
Best Buy reported a possible data breach last week. The company that handles Best Buy’s messaging system, [24]7.ia was hacked late last year, which may have exposed Best Buy customers’ data. Charisse Jones reports in USA Today.
U.S. expanding surveillance of migrants within Mexico
Finally, Nick Miroff and Joshua Partlow report in the Washington Post that the U.S. government is expanding its data-gathering efforts within Mexico. According to the report, the Trump administration is “capturing the biometric data of tens of thousands of Central Americans” who were arrested in Mexico. The U.S. is also operating detention facilities in Mexico. But President Trump had accused Mexico of doing nothing to stop the flow of migrants fleeing Central American countries for the Mexico/U.S. border.