Criminal Crypto Defeated Cops Nine Times in 2013
According to a report in the Register, the US government reported nine cases in which they were prevented from eavesdropping due to cryptography in 2013. This total is more than double the four successful criminal crypto episodes in 2012. Before 2012, there were no reported cases of police failing to recover original text.
Federal and state agencies were successful in breaking crypto in 32 cases last year. In all, the agencies spied on suspects in 3,576 cases in 2013. According to the original government report, most of the cases involved drugs.
The report covers wiretaps that were executed under a warrant approved by federal or state judges, so it would not cover the infamous off-the-books spy work of the NSA. Cryptography is still used in only a small percentage of the surveillance cases. The increase in unsuccessful taps could indicate that criminals are becoming more savvy about cryptographic technology.
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