Email system reform is imminent, blockchain makes it impossible for hackers to attack

According to the Huobi Blockchain Research Center, due to the complexity and low security of current email services, it is imperative to run email systems with Bitcoin blockchain technology. Indeed, in the face of increasingly sophisticated hackers, email service systems are now too easy to be hacked.

Replacing outdated systems with blockchain email

Yahoo is urging its users to change their passwords after suffering one of the largest data breaches in history, but the move is unlikely to have any effect, as experts warn that changing passwords too frequently could backfire.

Upgrading email systems while protecting user account information requires a complete technological overhaul.

Fortunately, some businesses are already working on transforming their email systems using Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies.

John McAfee Swiftmail is an email system that relies on blockchain technology. The company claims that its 256-bit, end-to-end encryption system can protect Swiftmail data and make data interception meaningless.

John McAfee Swiftmail's website describes itself as follows:

“John McAfee Swiftmail is a decentralized, peer-to-peer, proof-of-work encrypted messaging system that uses blockchain technology to replace email. A Swiftmail wallet address will look like ‘ab99b776de244fe0f70f229921517829’.”

“Cryptamail is another decentralized email system that runs on blockchain technology. Because information is stored on the blockchain, user information is not stored centrally, so your personal information cannot be stolen or viewed,” the website explains.

The most notorious data breaches

The existing email system is no longer safe. Huobi Blockchain Research Center learned that Yahoo recently announced that it had suffered the world's largest hacker attack, with more than one billion users' information leaked and hackers stealing important personal data of users. The most disturbing thing is that the stolen information includes some unencrypted or encrypted security information questions and answers to the questions.

Yahoo reported that the breach of one billion user accounts occurred in August 2013, but it was not announced until November 14, 2016. Legal experts are still investigating this massive data breach. Bob Lord, Yahoo's chief information security officer, said; "We cannot confirm that the hacker break-in is related to this information theft, but we believe this incident is different from the incident disclosed on September 22."

"Based on our ongoing investigation, we believe an unauthorized third party gained access to our proprietary code in an attempt to learn how to forge traces."

In September, Yahoo disclosed another incident that occurred in 2014, this time in which information about five million users was stolen.

Yahoo attributed the two major crimes to "the same state-controlled mafia."

State-sponsored hacking and geopolitical significance

News of information breaches breaks every day, affecting email service providers, businesses, government agencies, and political organizations. The impact of these incidents can be far-reaching.

Take the recent hack of the Democratic National Committee, which was said to have had a negative impact on the 2016 US election. Many people believe that state-sponsored hackers were behind the incident.

A senior U.S. intelligence official told NBC News:

"We now have a high degree of confidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved in Russia's covert campaign to interfere in the U.S. election."

Cyberattacks are not uncommon today. But the frequency, scale, and implications of email hacks and other malicious activity are rapidly increasing. As a result, there is an urgent need to reform and promote more secure email technologies, such as those combined with the security protections provided by blockchain.