Startups

Decrypted: Post-coronavirus, Auth0’s close call, North Korea warning, Awake’s Series C

Decrypted: Post-coronavirus, Auth0s close call, North Korea warning, Awakes Series C

Welcome to a look back at the past week in security and what it means for you. Each week we’ll look at the big news of the week and why it matters.

What will the world look like after the coronavirus pandemic subsides?

Some of us are now in our fifth week of sheltering in place, but there’s no fixed end-date in sight. We’ve gone from a period of confusion and concern to testing and mitigation. Now we’re starting to look ahead at the world post-coronavirus. Things still have to get done. But how do we regain a semblance of normality in the middle of a pandemic?

Tech can be the answer but it’s not a panacea; Apple and Google have explained more about their contact tracing efforts to help better understand the spread of the virus seems promising. But privacy concerns and worries that the system could be abused have raised justified concerns. On the other hand, with a U.S. presidential election slated for later this year, many experts want tech out of the picture in favor of a secure solution that uses paper ballots.

Will tech save the day, or will it kick us while we’re down? Let’s dive in.

THE BIG PICTURE

Voting by mail should be having its moment. Will it?

This year’s U.S. presidential election will still go ahead — it’s in the constitution as an immutable fact — but a pandemic throws a wrench in the works.

But security experts say electronic voting isn’t secure or resilient enough to protect from foreign interference. Even the more established mobile voting offerings have been shown to be deeply flawed.