In the early days of the internet, a groundbreaking network was created to connect people, share information, and enable effortless worldwide communication. This system, developed between 1969 and 1994, was built with a vision of openness and digital connectivity, yet it was crafted without fully anticipating the vulnerabilities and threats that would eventually emerge. This outdated infrastructure, though revolutionary in its time, now provides fertile ground for cybercriminals.
How does the internet actually work?
The internet is physically connected through a vast network of
cables, satellites, and other infrastructure that allows computers
and devices around the world to communicate with each other.
To illustrate how data flows over the internet in a simplified
manner, picture a long fiber optic cable that connects 10 households
along a street. When house number 1 decides to send a message to
house number 7, that signal travels down the same cable that serves
all the other 8 homes as well. As the message passes through, each
house connected to the cable picks up on the signal meant for house
number 7. However, since they're not interested in the content of
that specific message, they simply perceive it as background noise
and choose to ignore it. Yet,
anyone who is listening closely enough can easily follow the
trail of the signal, as they are all connected to the same
cable. This captures the essence of how data travels on the internet:
while most connections are indifferent to the specific messages
being sent, anyone with the right access can eavesdrop and see
what's happening along that digital roadway.
Protective protocol
To ensure that everything is agreed upon across various connections,
the internet has developed a set of rules, which is called a
protocol. The protocol that is used to transfer data on the web is
the well-known acronym HTTPS (which stands for “HyperText Transfer
Protocol Secure”), basically these are just a set of rules of how
data is distributed through the internet. When we visit a website
starting with "https://," it means that the information exchanged
between your browser and the website is encrypted and protected
according to the https-rulebook. This
encryption should help to keep your data safe from
hackers
and eavesdroppers, ensuring that sensitive information, like
passwords or credit card details, cannot be easily intercepted or
read by anyone else.
However, the safety measures established for the internet in the 90s
may not adequately reflect the security needs of today's digital
landscape. Imagine the internet as a charming neighborhood of houses
where this mailman still delivers letters every day, and where
everyone adheres to that protocol: you politely only pick out your
own personal mail and you do not peek into each other's mailboxes,
even though letters sometimes end up at the wrong address or stick
out precariously.
Using the internet: why do we 'eat ' cookies … without thinking
As you navigate the internet and visit various websites, you may
notice that some sites ask for permission to store cookies on your
computer.
Cookies are small text files created by those websites that serve
multiple purposes: they remember your login details, track your
preferences, and even analyze your browsing habits to improve your
overall experience. You can think of cookies as little notes left in your mailbox,
acting as helpful reminders for websites to recognize you when you
come back. While cookies can enhance your experience as a user, they
also pose a risk; if they end up in the wrong hands, they can be
exploited against you.
In addition to cookies,
certificates are used to authenticate identity on the
internet. When you visit a secure website, a certificate ensures that the
site is legitimate and not a fake. This is especially important for
online banking or shopping, where you need to trust that you're
providing your information to the right place. Certificates contain
special codes that help verify the website's identity. Just like
cookies, certificates are secured through
encryption, making sure your connection to the website remains
private, protecting sensitive information like passwords or credit card
numbers from being intercepted by anyone else.
Thoughtlessly left breadcrumbs as a trail for
'doppelgangers'
So, when browsing through the internet or sending data
across the internet, it hops from one server to another, like a
letter moving through various postal stations. With each transition,
breadcrumbs leave a data-trace in the form of cookies and
certificates, creating a trail that marks its path. This means,
sensitive information is spread across the entire path, allowing it
to be picked up by unintended parties along the way. As a result,
your digital footprint may be broader than you realize, revealing
more about your online activities and preferences than you intended
to or might be comfortable with. So not only your private
information, passwords, etc are spread across the internet like
breadcrumbs and also
your verified identity is within reach for anyone who would like
to pretend to be you.
Man-in-the-middle
Now, imagine a letter journeying all the way from Belgium to
Mongolia. You would expect it to pass through several postal offices
before reaching its destination. However, what you don't know is the
exact path that letter takes. Did it stop at two postal offices or
four, and did it travel through Russia or China? More importantly,
how can you be sure that someone with bad intentions didn't
intercept your letter along the way, read what it said, alter the
message, and then send it on from the next legitimate postal office?
This scenario is known as a “man-in-the-middle” attack.
In our letter example: imagine an attacker cleverly
positioning themselves at one of the postal stops your letter passes
through. This attacker is like a sneaky postal worker who intercepts
your letter before it completes its journey.
They can read its contents and, if they choose, make changes to
the message.
For instance, suppose your letter contains vital
information about a business deal or personal news. The attacker,
once they've read it, could modify those details to confuse or
mislead the recipient, just like if they replaced your original
message with something entirely different before sending it off to
the next postal office. To the recipient, the altered message
appears to come directly from you, making it hard to detect that
someone tampered with it. Just as you can't always trace the exact
route your letter takes through postal offices, it's equally
challenging to recognize a man-in-the-middle attack online. This
emphasizes the importance of using secure connections and being
mindful of who might be listening to your communications, just as
you would be cautious about your notes being passed in the mail.
C-K9 is equipped to detect and identify
man-in-the-middle attacks, allowing it to recognize when two parties
are not communicating directly with each other. This capability
enables C-K9 to detect eavesdropping attempts, and it can take
action to sever those unauthorized connections.
So: let 's encrypt our messages using cryptography
Let's revisit secure internet protocols and explore how cookies and
certificates are encrypted to protect your online identity and
private information. Encryption typically relies on a system of
public and private keys: the public key is widely distributed for
encrypting data, while the private key remains secret for decrypting
it. These keys are mathematically linked through a cryptographic
algorithm that simplifies the encryption process using the public
key. (Think of this public key as your unique private key, allowing
people to find you online: it's encrypted. And you also have a
second private key to unlock this lock whenever you want)
But how complex is this math? RSA
(Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) is an encryption algorithm based on the
challenging task of factoring large prime numbers for data
encryption and transmission. In contrast, Diffie-Hellman employs
elliptic curve formulas as a key exchange protocol, enabling two
parties to securely share a secret key over an insecure channel and
generate digital signatures.
Traditionally, the
mathematical complexities involved made decryption a daunting task
for both humans and computers, particularly in the 90s and early
2000s. However, substantial increases in computational power over
the past decades, along with the advent of quantum computing, have
rendered these once difficult mathematical problems solvable almost
instantly. And there is something else that has made decryption
easier for those who have that intention... the blockchain, a
database of magic numbers.
The blockchain: an 'accessible ' database of magic numbers
An intriguing development in data security comes from the blockchain
ledger, which has gained popularity alongside cryptocurrencies like
Bitcoin.The blockchain is essentially a decentralized and distributed
database that functions as a secure record of transactions or
information
. It builds upon prime numbers, effectively utilizing these
mathematical foundations to verify and secure data within its
network. Because information on the blockchain is stored across
numerous locations and validated by multiple parties, accessing this
data can be completed with astonishing speed, even faster than a
quantum computer would calculate all possible outcomes.
This raises an astonishing possibility: because the data is already
stored in the blockchain, it can provide solutions to decryption
challenges that traditional methods might struggle with. When a
hacker attempts to crack encrypted information, they might find that
the answer is already available within the blockchain, making their
efforts not only easier but potentially instantaneous. In other
words, the blockchain ledger is a database of solutions to the RSA
prime factoring problem, so in stead of doing the math,
all answers are now publicly available.
The consequences of Cookie theft
In today's complex online ecosystem, the security of your digital
information is paramount.If hackers succeed in stealing your encrypted cookies
, they can gain unauthorized access to your stored data, potentially
allowing them to take over your online identity .
Once they have this sensitive information, they can impersonate you,
gaining access to your social media accounts, bank accounts, and
more. This theft can facilitate a range of illegal activities,
including financial fraud, identity theft, or even the spread of
malicious content under your name.
Moreover, it's
important to recognize that just because a system is designed to be
secure does not mean it is impervious to determined attackers.
Cybercriminals often employ sophisticated methods and tools to
exploit vulnerabilities in encryption and security protocols.
Our ignorance and the growing complexity of the online ecosystem
gives the false impression that it is safe, but it simply is not …
unless you protect yourself well, and that is both possible and
affordable.
C-K9 has developed a data exchange protocol that utilizes
quantum-resistant encryption certificates, effectively addressing
the vulnerabilities of the outdated Internet infrastructure. We
don't trust third party authorities and your digital security is our
main concern.