Encryption does not stop Wiretapping Boom
Eavesdropping is a very old tool of the trade. Conversations, letters, phone calls, messages of all kinds have long been in the spotlight of law enforcement, government and criminal organisations alike. Especially the military knows the value of information hence the term information warfare. Encryption is the obvious defence against eavesdropping. If you lack the key(s), you cannot decrypt the intercepted messages. Eavesdroppers around the world conjure up the demon of encryption and warn that cybercriminals (or even regular businesses) evade wiretapping by using cryptologic measures to protect their information. The warnings seem to be unfounded according to the Forbes' security blog:
In an annual report published Friday by the U.S. judicial system on the number of wiretaps it granted over the past year (see full document below), the courts revealed that there were 2,376 wiretaps by law enforcement agencies in 2009, up 26% from 1,891 the year before, and up 76% from 1999. (Those numbers, it should be noted, don't include international wiretaps or those aimed at intelligence purposes rather than law enforcement.)
But in the midst of that wiretapping bonanza, a more surprising figure is the number of cases in which law enforcement encountered encryption as a barrier: one.
Widespread encryption does not compromise or cripple law enforcement. This also means that protective measures are not used efficiently. While we do not want to give advice to criminals, we very much like to warn businesses about the false sense of security created by badly deployed or designed security protocols, appliances and products. Encryption by itself is no defence. Good security engineering comes with a price and some effort. If you like to learn more about this, just send us a (encrypted) message.