US Senator Recommends Open-Source WireGuard To NIST For Government VPN

[phoronix]

Phoronix: US Senator Recommends Open-Source WireGuard To NIST For Government VPN

One of the additions we have been looking forward to seeing in the mainline Linux kernel in 2018 is WireGuard. WireGuard is the open-source, performance-minded, and secure VPN tunnel. WireGuard is designed to be run within the Linux kernel but has also been ported to other platforms...

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=news_item&px=WireGuard-Senator-Recommends

[kaprikawn]

I'd consider endorsement by the US government to be a red flag

[tambre]

I'd consider endorsement by the US government to be a red flag

Apparently a single senator's personal opinion represents the whole government.

[johanb]

I'd consider endorsement by the US government to be a red flag

An endorsement for civilians to use it, an endorsement to make their own government use it no.

[unrulycow]

Ron Wyden is the most technologically literate member of the senate by far (a low bar, I know). He's been a leading advocate for security and privacy for years (notably the only one calling for oversight of the NSA and associated agencies) and is one of the only members of congress I have any respect for. See stories about him at Techdirt here. https://www.techdirt.com/search-g.php?q=wyden I am generally neutral on the issue of using Wireguard versus other methods of securing VPNs, but an endorsement from Wyden is actually pretty positive.

[humbug]

I'd consider endorsement by the US government to be a red flag

Isn't a key benefit of open source the fact that we can check the code ourselves and see for ourselves what it is doing?

Then why should it matter if you trust the government?

[creative]

Isn't a key benefit of open source the fact that we can check the code ourselves and see for ourselves what it is doing?

Then why should it matter if you trust the government?

Exactly.

Do note that just because something is open source does not mean that everything is good. Most people don't look at the source and even fewer know whats in their software packages. Unless of course you compiled all of it yourself as well as looked at the source. This is a trust based issue to be honest and it does call to mind some deductive thinking.

Of coarse open source is always better than non open.

[leech]

Exactly.

Do note that just because something is open source does not mean that everything is good. Most people don't look at the source and even fewer know whats in their software packages. Unless of course you compiled all of it yourself as well as looked at the source. This is a trust based issue to be honest and it does call to mind some deductive thinking.

Of coarse open source is always better than non open.

Yeah, but this being inside the kernel kind of guarantees that there are many eyes looking at it. At least the ultimately picky Linus eyes.

[jo-erlend]

I'd consider endorsement by the US government to be a red flag

If you don't trust the process, then you shouldn't trust the product. If an endorsement from some government or other is enough to make you distrust the software, then you don't trust the process and shouldn't trust the software.

[creative]

leech Yes, hopefully so. I love it when he gets pissed.