Blocksafe Technologies 2018 Public Information:
4-20-2018
The Mighty Blockchain Has Mighty Security Problems – Opinion
Blockchain, Crime, FinTech, News | April 19, 2018
By: Rich Zaziski, CEO, BlockSafe Technologies
Often touted as immutable, blockchain technology and its unlimited potential have garnered much attention lately, and rightly so. The mathematical model that the technology is built upon as well as its time-stamped, verifiable nature certainly makes it a reliable option for monitoring and tracking purposes, one that industries across the globe are looking to implement. In fact, according to a recent report from IDC, global spending on blockchain solutions in 2018 is estimated to be $2.1 billion. Furthermore, according to CoinMarketCap, the cryptocurrency markets – the more widely known application of the blockchain technology – grew to $600 billion by the end of 2017.
While blockchain technologies continues to hold much promise, we cannot neglect the numerous hacking incidents that have crippled the crypto economy. From DAO and Mt. Gox to CoinCheck and GDAX, crypto exchanges have already lost multi millions. In addition, nearly $400 million has been lost or stolen during ICOs, according to Ernst & Young. Only last week, the UK National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) issued a warning about cryptojacking, and recommended the use of ad blockers and anti-virus programs which include browser mining blocks to prevent these types of attacks.
Now, if the past hacking incidents have taught us anything, it is that hackers follow the money, and to hackers, blockchain is a big pot of gold, and not a very secure one at that. The last several years of crypto breaches are proof that blockchain has vulnerabilities, and by extension, crypto wallets and crypto exchanges are also vulnerable, and that the immutable blockchain isn’t exactly impenetrable.
The reality is that while the blockchain is secure in and of itself, access to it is not. This is because of non-existent or subpar enforcement of rules and policies on the user side and lack of authentication in blockchain transactions. So, for enterprises looking to implement blockchain technology, it is paramount that they understand the security risks involved and take proactive measures to combat these risks.
As noted by Bloor Research’s David Norfolk in his recent report on Blockchain Governance, “One of the chief issues around a secure technology (such as Blockchain is capable of being) is that it becomes trusted – and if someone puts corrupt garbage into it, the garbage that comes out is probably trusted too.” Hackers are smart and while they will continue to come up with sophisticated hacking techniques, the existing whack-a-mole method that we employ to thwart cybercriminals isn’t sufficient. We need to stop reacting. What we need instead is a proactive approach which employs things like two-factor authentication, keystroke encryption, transaction authentication, and policy and rules engine so that we can go a step further than just identifying the problem. By bracing for a cyber-attack, we are acknowledging the imminent presence of hackers and are making sure we are prepared to stop them right in their tracks.
Rich Zaziski is CEO of BlockSafe Technologies, Inc., a company securing the blockchain ecosystem with a suite of solutions that protect against an array of cyber vulnerabilities. His experience spans more than 30 years in the technology industry, as a developer, architect, executive, adviser and entrepreneur.
Rich’s expertise bridges functional areas across diverse industries, allowing him to quickly understand complex business problems and synthesize actionable, technology-driven solutions. He is passionate about fostering emerging technologies and exploring how they can positively impact people and improve business performance.
Previously, Rich founded and ran a technology consulting firm that delivered measurable value to Fortune 500 companies for over 28 years. He holds an MBA in information technology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a BA from Rutgers University.
4-13-2018
TWST interview, Blocksafe Technologies
Interview with the CEO: StrikeForce Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS:SFOR)
https://www.twst.com/interview/Interview-with...CMKTS-SFOR
TWST: Please update us, and tell us about how your recently announced subsidiary, BlockSafe Technologies, evolved?
Mr. Kay : StrikeForce learned a lot about the blockchain over the past number of months, actually reading a lot about it. And then a company came to us and wanted to get involved, and they felt they could use our products and be the only blockchain company with cybersecurity products. And so we said, these are products that make sense, so we should do it ourselves. So we started a company, subsidiary called BlockSafe Technologies, Inc., which we feel could be very strong, and currently we're setting it up. We’ve released a PR and it is now live .
We're now doing a Pre-sale private fund, followed by a Pre-ICO fund, followed by the ICO. We'll have a website on our ICO in about the next week or so. We feel very confident and strong about what we're doing, especially the advantage we have with our BlockSafe Technologies.
TWST: How did you get up to speed on the new blockchain technology so quickly? And how will BlockSafe be integrated into StrikeForce’s existing business model?
Mr. Kay : Blockchain has been in the news quite a bit over the past couple of years, especially over the last year. We've read a lot about it, then we got involved, and we're going to be making a very unique contribution in terms of the products we'll be providing. We will still be providing StrikeForce's security products, but we're going to brand them for BlockSafe, and we're going to change them and add features and functions to them. Two of them — GuardedID and MobileTrust — would be close to what we have now, so we actually can make the products available pretty quickly, and they will be re-branded of course.
So we will be the only blockchain company selling cybersecurity products. So we're actually adding a major function to the blockchain by adding security products that especially provide Out-of-Band Authentication that will also allow other features to occur, such as giving permission to the person — rules engine — and policy server, etc. We will have a major kickoff meeting in the next month or so, and we've hired a major PR firm to work with us, Fusion PR .
TWST: Did you hire new technology experts to execute the blockchain technology for BlockSafe?
Mr. Kay : We did, and we can now announce the names, which are Richard Zaziski, CEO, and Scott Whitman, COO, for starters. We're still in process as we hire the rest of the strong team. We find it to be very exciting; everybody wants to get involved, of course. We did start collecting monies for ...
3-8-2018
Wall Street Journal article from March 8, 2018 quoting George Waller, VP of Strikeforce Technologies & advisor to its subsidiary Blockchain Technologies)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/crypto-investing...1520078400
1-9-2018
Strikeforce announces NEW Blockchain subsidiary
EDISON, N.J., Jan. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StrikeForce Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK:SFOR) announced today the opening of a new subsidiary, BlockSafe Technologies , Inc. BlockSafe will focus on providing security solutions to protect blockchain and cryptocurrencies .
“We have been closely following the extraordinary growth of blockchain, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies for some time now,” says Mark L. Kay, CEO of StrikeForce. “When we saw that they were becoming mainstream disruptive technologies, we knew that hackers would quickly follow.” In recent months, crypto-criminals have successfully hacked companies like Youbit, BitFinex, Nicehash, Coindesk, Enigma and Tether. “Attacking blockchain, digital wallets and crypto-exchanges are becoming a daily occurrence,” says Kay, “and the current landscape of security solutions on the market just wasn’t designed to protect them.”
“ That’s why we are so excited about StrikeForce becoming a leader in blockchain security ,” says Kay. “ Protecting blockchain and cryptocurrencies is a huge greenfield opportunity for us . Cybersecurity has typically lagged far behind innovation, but in this instance, we know exactly what’s needed, and the best part of it is that our existing patented technologies will play a key role in protecting private/corporate blockchains as well as digital wallets and cryptocurrencies.”
BlockSafe Technologies will offer three uniquely redesigned security solutions . The first is Blockchain Defender™, which will be the industry’s most comprehensive dedicated Blockchain firewall which includes access control and policy enforcement. The other two solutions are Desktop Defender™ and Mobile Defender™; both products will protect digital wallets and cryptocurrencies on MS Windows, Apple, iOS & Android platforms .
StrikeForce will license its existing technologies to BlockSafe Technologies, and in turn, BlockSafe will customize those technologies specifically to protect blockchain(s), digital wallets and cryptocurrencies.
Additionally, BlockSafe Technologies will engage in a Seed, a Pre-ICO and an ICO funding round, as part of this process, BlockSafe will also create its own BSAFE™ cryptocurrency tokens. For more information about BlockSafe Technologies Inc., go to www.blocksafetech.com.
4-20-2018
The Mighty Blockchain Has Mighty Security Problems – Opinion
Blockchain, Crime, FinTech, News | April 19, 2018
By: Rich Zaziski, CEO, BlockSafe Technologies
Often touted as immutable, blockchain technology and its unlimited potential have garnered much attention lately, and rightly so. The mathematical model that the technology is built upon as well as its time-stamped, verifiable nature certainly makes it a reliable option for monitoring and tracking purposes, one that industries across the globe are looking to implement. In fact, according to a recent report from IDC, global spending on blockchain solutions in 2018 is estimated to be $2.1 billion. Furthermore, according to CoinMarketCap, the cryptocurrency markets – the more widely known application of the blockchain technology – grew to $600 billion by the end of 2017.
While blockchain technologies continues to hold much promise, we cannot neglect the numerous hacking incidents that have crippled the crypto economy. From DAO and Mt. Gox to CoinCheck and GDAX, crypto exchanges have already lost multi millions. In addition, nearly $400 million has been lost or stolen during ICOs, according to Ernst & Young. Only last week, the UK National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) issued a warning about cryptojacking, and recommended the use of ad blockers and anti-virus programs which include browser mining blocks to prevent these types of attacks.
Now, if the past hacking incidents have taught us anything, it is that hackers follow the money, and to hackers, blockchain is a big pot of gold, and not a very secure one at that. The last several years of crypto breaches are proof that blockchain has vulnerabilities, and by extension, crypto wallets and crypto exchanges are also vulnerable, and that the immutable blockchain isn’t exactly impenetrable.
The reality is that while the blockchain is secure in and of itself, access to it is not. This is because of non-existent or subpar enforcement of rules and policies on the user side and lack of authentication in blockchain transactions. So, for enterprises looking to implement blockchain technology, it is paramount that they understand the security risks involved and take proactive measures to combat these risks.
As noted by Bloor Research’s David Norfolk in his recent report on Blockchain Governance, “One of the chief issues around a secure technology (such as Blockchain is capable of being) is that it becomes trusted – and if someone puts corrupt garbage into it, the garbage that comes out is probably trusted too.” Hackers are smart and while they will continue to come up with sophisticated hacking techniques, the existing whack-a-mole method that we employ to thwart cybercriminals isn’t sufficient. We need to stop reacting. What we need instead is a proactive approach which employs things like two-factor authentication, keystroke encryption, transaction authentication, and policy and rules engine so that we can go a step further than just identifying the problem. By bracing for a cyber-attack, we are acknowledging the imminent presence of hackers and are making sure we are prepared to stop them right in their tracks.
Rich Zaziski is CEO of BlockSafe Technologies, Inc., a company securing the blockchain ecosystem with a suite of solutions that protect against an array of cyber vulnerabilities. His experience spans more than 30 years in the technology industry, as a developer, architect, executive, adviser and entrepreneur.
Rich’s expertise bridges functional areas across diverse industries, allowing him to quickly understand complex business problems and synthesize actionable, technology-driven solutions. He is passionate about fostering emerging technologies and exploring how they can positively impact people and improve business performance.
Previously, Rich founded and ran a technology consulting firm that delivered measurable value to Fortune 500 companies for over 28 years. He holds an MBA in information technology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and a BA from Rutgers University.
4-13-2018
TWST interview, Blocksafe Technologies
Interview with the CEO: StrikeForce Technologies Inc (OTCMKTS:SFOR)
https://www.twst.com/interview/Interview-with...CMKTS-SFOR
TWST: Please update us, and tell us about how your recently announced subsidiary, BlockSafe Technologies, evolved?
Mr. Kay : StrikeForce learned a lot about the blockchain over the past number of months, actually reading a lot about it. And then a company came to us and wanted to get involved, and they felt they could use our products and be the only blockchain company with cybersecurity products. And so we said, these are products that make sense, so we should do it ourselves. So we started a company, subsidiary called BlockSafe Technologies, Inc., which we feel could be very strong, and currently we're setting it up. We’ve released a PR and it is now live .
We're now doing a Pre-sale private fund, followed by a Pre-ICO fund, followed by the ICO. We'll have a website on our ICO in about the next week or so. We feel very confident and strong about what we're doing, especially the advantage we have with our BlockSafe Technologies.
TWST: How did you get up to speed on the new blockchain technology so quickly? And how will BlockSafe be integrated into StrikeForce’s existing business model?
Mr. Kay : Blockchain has been in the news quite a bit over the past couple of years, especially over the last year. We've read a lot about it, then we got involved, and we're going to be making a very unique contribution in terms of the products we'll be providing. We will still be providing StrikeForce's security products, but we're going to brand them for BlockSafe, and we're going to change them and add features and functions to them. Two of them — GuardedID and MobileTrust — would be close to what we have now, so we actually can make the products available pretty quickly, and they will be re-branded of course.
So we will be the only blockchain company selling cybersecurity products. So we're actually adding a major function to the blockchain by adding security products that especially provide Out-of-Band Authentication that will also allow other features to occur, such as giving permission to the person — rules engine — and policy server, etc. We will have a major kickoff meeting in the next month or so, and we've hired a major PR firm to work with us, Fusion PR .
TWST: Did you hire new technology experts to execute the blockchain technology for BlockSafe?
Mr. Kay : We did, and we can now announce the names, which are Richard Zaziski, CEO, and Scott Whitman, COO, for starters. We're still in process as we hire the rest of the strong team. We find it to be very exciting; everybody wants to get involved, of course. We did start collecting monies for ...
3-8-2018
Wall Street Journal article from March 8, 2018 quoting George Waller, VP of Strikeforce Technologies & advisor to its subsidiary Blockchain Technologies)
https://www.wsj.com/articles/crypto-investing...1520078400
1-9-2018
Strikeforce announces NEW Blockchain subsidiary
EDISON, N.J., Jan. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- StrikeForce Technologies, Inc. (OTC PINK:SFOR) announced today the opening of a new subsidiary, BlockSafe Technologies , Inc. BlockSafe will focus on providing security solutions to protect blockchain and cryptocurrencies .
“We have been closely following the extraordinary growth of blockchain, Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies for some time now,” says Mark L. Kay, CEO of StrikeForce. “When we saw that they were becoming mainstream disruptive technologies, we knew that hackers would quickly follow.” In recent months, crypto-criminals have successfully hacked companies like Youbit, BitFinex, Nicehash, Coindesk, Enigma and Tether. “Attacking blockchain, digital wallets and crypto-exchanges are becoming a daily occurrence,” says Kay, “and the current landscape of security solutions on the market just wasn’t designed to protect them.”
“ That’s why we are so excited about StrikeForce becoming a leader in blockchain security ,” says Kay. “ Protecting blockchain and cryptocurrencies is a huge greenfield opportunity for us . Cybersecurity has typically lagged far behind innovation, but in this instance, we know exactly what’s needed, and the best part of it is that our existing patented technologies will play a key role in protecting private/corporate blockchains as well as digital wallets and cryptocurrencies.”
BlockSafe Technologies will offer three uniquely redesigned security solutions . The first is Blockchain Defender™, which will be the industry’s most comprehensive dedicated Blockchain firewall which includes access control and policy enforcement. The other two solutions are Desktop Defender™ and Mobile Defender™; both products will protect digital wallets and cryptocurrencies on MS Windows, Apple, iOS & Android platforms .
StrikeForce will license its existing technologies to BlockSafe Technologies, and in turn, BlockSafe will customize those technologies specifically to protect blockchain(s), digital wallets and cryptocurrencies.
Additionally, BlockSafe Technologies will engage in a Seed, a Pre-ICO and an ICO funding round, as part of this process, BlockSafe will also create its own BSAFE™ cryptocurrency tokens. For more information about BlockSafe Technologies Inc., go to www.blocksafetech.com.
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