San Francisco: In an update to its national censorship tool, known as the Great Firewall, China has reportedly started blocking HTTPS connections with Encrypted Server Name Indication.
The ban has been in place for over a week now, three organisations tracking Chinese censorship -- iYouPort, the University of Maryland, and the Great Firewall Report - said this week in a joint report.
"We confirm that the Great Firewall (GFW) of China has recently begun blocking ESNI - one of the foundational features of TLS 1.3 and HTTPS," said the report.
TLS is the foundation of secure communication on the web (HTTPS). It provides authenticated encryption so that users can know whom they are communicating with. It also ensures that an intermediary does not read or tamper with your information.
But even though TLS hides the content of a user's communication, it does not always conceal with whom the user is communicating.
The TLS handshake (a process that kicks off a communication session) optionally contains a Server Name Indication (SNI) field that allows the user's client to inform the server which website it wishes to communicate with.
Nation-state censors have used the SNI field to block users from being able to communicate with certain destinations, said that report, adding that China has long been censoring HTTPS in this manner.
TLS 1.3 introduced Encrypted SNI (ESNI) that encrypts the SNI so that intermediaries cannot view it, said the report.
The Great Firewall of China blocks ESNI connections by dropping packets from client to server, it added.
For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App.
Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.
After Ahmedabad, fire now at Covid centre in Vijayawada; 7 dead
Also Read
Fire in Ahmedabad Covid hospital, 8 positive patients dead
Demonising Azad, other Muslim ministers is latest add-on to Islamophobia
Now, Nepal constructs helipad at disputed site in Bihar
After Nepal, Pakistan revises its map; shows Jammu and Kashmir its own
Gujarat Priest succumbs to Covid-19, video shows him distributing prasad laced with his saliva
Horrifying scene at Kozhikode airport, both pilots among 18 dead
Saudi Arabia-Pakistan ties strain again, this time over Kashmir
Is India preparing to clash with China and Pakistan simultaneously?
Nadia Beig clears Civil Services Exam at 23, but not youngest ever
Vidarbha taxi driver's son Azharuddin clears 2019 Civil Services Exams
Once a Sipahi with Delhi Police, Firoz Alam cracks Civil Services exams
'Anyone can do it': UPSC Civil Services topper 2019
'Consistency is Key': Vishakha on securing 6th rank in UPSC CSE 2019
Over 40 Muslims crack UPSC Civil Services 2019 exams
UPSC Result 2019: Only 01 Muslim among Top 100
UPSC Result 2019 out, Pratibha Verma topper among women
