Senator Wyden Urges NSA to Update VPN Guidance Amid Foreign Surveillance Concerns
Senator Ron Wyden is calling on the National Security Agency (NSA) to revise its cybersecurity guidance to inform Americans that standard Virtual Private Network (VPN) services may not offer adequate protection against sophisticated foreign surveillance threats. A Congressional Research Service analysis, requested by Wyden, indicates that foreign intelligence services could potentially link VPN users to specific websites by analyzing the timing and volume of encrypted data traffic. This method, known as traffic analysis, does not require breaking encryption and could expose online activities, particularly with single-hop VPNs where traffic passes through one server. Wyden emphasizes the need to clearly communicate this risk to government personnel, contractors, and journalists who are potential targets of espionage. Current NSA and CISA guidance primarily focuses on preventing network intrusions and recommends measures like timely updates and multi-factor authentication, but it is unclear if they have asse... 
