Better Computer Encryption Technologies Sought By PC Manufacturers
High-tech encryption technology companies are becoming increasingly important in the multi-billion dollar worldwide computer security industry. These software and hardware companies are constantly seeking ways to stay ahead of hackers and software that can circumvent privacy protection programs.
Increasingly, PC manufacturers, especially laptop makers are looking for innovative ways to give customers built-in encryption protection beyond simply including anti-spyware and anti-virus software. According to the U.S. 2007 Annual CSI/FBI Computer Crime and Security Survey a notebook computer is stolen every 53 seconds, and 97% are never recovered.
Computer Hardware and Software Makers Focus on Encryption
Computer maker Dell (http://www.dell.com/) recently announced a partnership with Seagate (http://www.seagate.com/) to ship laptop computers to consumers with a 160 GB self-encrypting hard drive. McAfee (http://www.mcafee.com/) has also announced a partnership with Seagate Secure(TM) to provide enterprise level software to manage and secure corporate-owned notebook computers.
Some of the encryption algorithms supporting these products are known by unusual names and acronyms like: RSA, AES-256, Blowfish (448-bit key), CAST5, Serpent, Triple DES, and Twofish. All of these processes own unique strengths and weaknesses, and all are theoretically breakable in our lifetimes. A holy grail in the computer data security world is a fast and easy to use unbreakable encryption program that requires little system resources from the computer’s CPU.
Unbreakable Encryption?
One company that claims to have created such a program is Praetorian Key, Inc. (http://www.praetoriankey.com/). Their program, they claim, is better than an ‘old style’ alphanumeric encryption program, and that it prevents any chance of access to encrypted data via keyboard, mouse, or remote attacker using a network or the internet or a network.
The only way to decrypt locked files is to use a separate ‘key’ on a CD, DVD, or USB drive. According to the company it would take nine trillion years to break the code without a key.
CEO Howard Budwin issued an open challenge to hackers to see if anyone could decrypt the files encrypted by Praetorian Key, but no one has succeeded yet, not even the author of the program. “Even if a team of hackers executed a brute force attack, it could not be done. It’s like being protected by Brinks, the FBI, and the CIA combined.”
