Surfshark is seeking to enhance the privateness of present end-to-end encryption with a brand new patent The plan is at the moment primarily based on distributed trust-based communication frameworks Regardless of this, Surfshark says its strategy differs from the likes of NymVPN and ObscuraVPN
Surfshark has simply registered a brand new patent seeking to enhance the privateness of present end-to-end encryption (E2E) techniques.
Primarily based on a distributed trust-based communication infrastructure, Surfshark ‘s proposed methodology seeks to scale back the quantity of seen metadata – that means all the info that is not the content material – by splitting the encryption course of between two separate VPN suppliers.
Encryption refers back to the scrambling of information into an unreadable kind and is the technical resolution born to guard the network-based communications all of us depend on each day – whether or not that is a textual content message, a doc, or a photograph shared with one other consumer over the web.
Finish-to-end encryption (E2E) is the tech utilized by virtual private networks (VPNs) , some secure email providers, and messaging platforms to make sure the content material of those on-line actions stays personal between the sender and the receiver.
Lots of metadata continues to be seen to the supplier
Karolis Kaciulis, Surfshark
But, Surfshark’s Lead System Engineer, Karolis Kaciulis believes that it is time to transcend E2E.
He advised TechRadar: “After the emergence of E2E encryption, we really feel that the subject of consumer anonymity and safety whereas utilizing varied messaging techniques and applied sciences has stagnated. We consider there may be nonetheless room for enchancment.”
The primary difficulty with as we speak’s encrypted messages, Kaciulis explains, is that whereas these messages can’t be accessed by undesirable third events, “lots of metadata continues to be seen to the supplier.”
Metadata consists of particulars corresponding to who despatched a message to whom, when the message was despatched, the dimensions of the message, and plenty of others.
On the time of writing, Surfshark reroute your web site visitors by way of its personal servers solely. The supplier is now wanting if this new tech might slot in its product design roadmap. (Picture credit score: Surfshark)
That is the place Surfshark’s new patent is available in. Primarily based on a distributed trust-based communication framework, it seeks to introduce a brand new means for VPN suppliers to deal with encryption and de-centralize the possession of the message.
Such a framework would contain two completely different VPN corporations dealing with the encryption course of in order that no single entity has all the knowledge in its entirety.
“The patented methodology would be sure that the knowledge is break up,” mentioned the patent inventor. “Thus, the metadata seen by the supplier corporations (in addition to governments the place they reside) is lowered.”
Do not name it decentralized VPN
It is value mentioning that some suppliers already supply decentralized VPN options that break up customers’ info between a number of entities with out having a single level of governance.
For instance, the newly launched NymVPN is constructed on a decentralized server community run by nameless customers the world over. Obscura VPN employs a two-party VPN construction, utilizing Mullvad ‘s WireGuard VPN as an exit hop.
Kaciulis, nevertheless, thinks that Surfshark’s patent goes past what a decentralized VPN stands for.
“Personally, I consider that as we speak ‘decentralized VPN’ is somewhat little bit of a buzzword used to persuade customers that it’s a greater resolution than the established order. The Web is constructed on belief and authority, and shedding mentioned authority solely makes it much less secure,” Kaciulis advised TechRadar.
Due to this fact, this resolution comes as a technique to emphasise the significance of getting much more authority. “It’s simply that the authority is shared between a number of actors as an alternative of 1.”
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