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Shell Falls Victim to a Cyber Attack Due to the Accellion File Transfer App (FTA)

Shell says that it worked with Accellion to immediately address the security holes, while also launching an investigation into the incident. Shell claims here is no evidence of any impact to Shell’s core IT systems as the file transfer service is isolated from the rest of Shell’s digital infrastructure.
Accellion is retiring the “FTA legacy product” as of April 30,2021. In December 2020, FTA failed terribly.
The vast majority of file transfer services are susceptible to hacks. Primarily, because they have inferior perimeter protection but also because they rely on E2E Encryption.

Wait a minute you ask, isn’t end-to-end encryption the way to go?

Well, not if you define yourself and your device as one of the “ends.”  If you as a person believe that you will be the only person that can read your message(s), open your file(s) or access your data, then E2E will never meet your definition.

A strong “End-to-End” data protection model is a concept when a private message is encrypted (scrambled via mathematical formula) by the sender, and could be decrypted (unscrambled) only by the intended recipient. Up to date, the “End-to-End” data protection model has been implemented with the secure-web protocol, also known as HTTPS, SSL, or TLS. We all successfully use it for directed two-party communication – shopping and online banking.

In the case of cloud-based services (three-party communication, User-Cloud-User), the commercial sector quietly adulterated the “End-to-End” data protection model by re-defining the meaning of “-End” to mean the vendors’ server/cloud to which the sender delegates her data for transmission or storage (effectively weakening data protection model to be “End-to-Cloud”).

At present, most users’ data is decrypted (unscrambled) at the entry into the cloud, where data is transferred and stored unprotected (this is one of the sources of digital companies’ “big data” and “ad targeting” power). At enterprise gateways encrypted (scrambled) data is decrypted (unscrambled) by powerful firewalls (by a process termed “stateful packet inspection”); at entry into a cloud, data is decrypted (unscrambled) by a process called “SSL Termination” to be absorbed into the cloud in its original form, no privacy preserved. Simply put – the privacy protection of secure-web protocol (known as HTTPS, SSL, or TLS) is undone. Admittedly, only a few applications actively position themselves as exceptions to this rule.

You see, millions of companies claim E2E. In their definition, E2E actually means Server to Originator to Server to End.  Their key server is the quintessential “Man In The Middle” who is reading, harvesting and creating big data marketing & cyber espionage campaigns using all of yours, and every other user’s data. Even further, your data at rest on your originating device is not protected in any way by E2E encryption. The first point it becomes encrypted is when it connects with the key providers server, whom of course has full knowledge of the content. Just check with Apple to see if that’s not the case.

 

 

What is shown in the above diagram is what most firms define as E2E encryption.  Your user data is “in the clear” from your device to the “The Man”, which is your messenger system’s server.  There it will be encrypted for “in-transit” purposes only. This means that the original message or data could be just stored in the clear as is the case with Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile.  The gap in security is fairly obvious.

Just to make security concerns even scarier, many key servers are located in geopolitical areas that may not share your businesses or nations interest.  Zoom for instance, was using servers based in China. What could go wrong?  As I am sure you are aware, the Chinese Government by law, is able to surveil any server based in China. E2E encryption won’t do your firm or nation much good if that is the case.

BLAKFX is pioneering device2device (D2D) Encryption.

Review Helix22 API, examples and documentation on our GIT

Our Motto:  In Math We Trust

The Helix22 data security SDK protects all data at rest, in use and in transit.

Helix22 delivers all this security assurance very confidently due to our genius engineering team spearheaded by Robert Statica and Alex Maslov who have invented a new model for data security that required an innovative look at the problem. As mentioned, the approach we took was to protect the data itself. Almost all other data security products try to build a perimeter or being fanatic on user identification. However, once the product is breached or a password is stolen, your firm/nations data is in the clear.

You see, the Helix22 cryptography is embedded with the data itself through our inventive and patented process of DNA BindingTM. Therefore, even if a breach were to occur the data cannot be exfiltrated. This means that all your firm/nations data is 100% protected regardless of the type of attack. Further, Helix22 protects data at rest, in use and in transit. No other data security can make that claim. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning experimentation runs and generates incalculable amounts of data. All is protected at its inception.

Our patented DNA BindingTM  cryptography is what enables our low, low latency. As the encryption is with the data, there is no need to create the large packets required in RSA.

D2D encryption

We can make this claim as the tech engineers at BLAKFX invented and patented a genuine device2device (D2D) encryption. We manage data security transmission through the truly brilliant and also patented universal Helix22 key service. The Helix22 encryption originates on your network or device, not just when the app is opened. This means, that when data arrives to our key server, it is already encrypted so all it needs to do is issue another key. Signal and Telegram cannot claim this level of security. This key will then only work with the intended device, which generates a matching key required to open the data. In this protocol, we are truly a “zero-knowledge” server so your communications and transmissions remain completely top secret. Even in the event that BLAKFX were subpoenaed, we can honor the request by just handing over the encrypted content…as that is literally all we have. Helix22 also only use keys just one-time and then destroys them. This way the data security is future forward prefect. Therefore, in our unique device-to-device encryption (D2D) world, there is no opportunity at all for any data leak.

This same protocol just described, can be the same with all your 3rd party vendors and suppliers. It does not matter in the least what platform they are running or what device they are using or even the type of data, it is all 100% protected. We do however, strongly advise that all firms involved be utilizing Helix22 due to the nature of the data content. Helix22 can ensure that whatever data they are generating is protected as well.

Let’s take it a step further. Even if your organization were a victim of an internal attack or a victim of malicious open source downloads, there is no reason for concern. Any data that has been forwarded, downloaded, copied or saved cannot be exfiltrated. Period.  We have the technology industries foremost data packets which are protected with multi-layered, military grade encryption algorithms that have already proven the ability to withstand penetration testing from MI5 and quantum computing attacks.

One final practical genius of DNA BindingTM is in that it is immediately compatible with whichever system or software you are utilizing. Therefore, any organization can forward information to another and then discuss it and there is immediate privacy.

BLAKFX is Based on Proven Success

Our founders, Robert Statica PhD and Kara Coppa, also founded Wickr, which is used by the US military and has never been hacked since its inception in 2012. The Helix22 data security SDK is several generations enhanced since then. Dr. Statica also delivered the encryption for the world’s most secure phone, Katim.

                                                                                         

Founder – Robert Statica PhD            Founder – Kara Coppa                   Founder – Alex Maslov MS, MBA                    

 

                               

Co-Founders of Wickr                    KatimTM Ultra Secure Smartphone

 

Finally, the Helix22 encryption is quantum computing ready so no need to redo all your data security methodologies in a couple of years when everything else becomes obsolete.

We like to refer to Helix22 as “22nd Century Data Security.”

The wrold's foremost B2B and B2G data security product.
Helix22 – Zero Risk