Tech
Scientists develop end-to-end encryption for git services
From large technology corporations to startups, from computer science students to indie developers, using git services is as common as opening a word document is for most of the rest of us. Git services are online repositories, indispensable in the IT industry, that manage and store projects that may contain sensitive information or trade secrets such as emerging artificial intelligence models.
However, this makes git services vulnerable to frequent cybersecurity threats. There is also the risk of malicious code being inserted into existing projects without the developer’s knowledge.
University of Sydney researchers are part of a team that have developed end-to-end encryption that can be deployed to protect git services. The encryption is compatible with existing git platforms such as Github and Bitbucket. When it is deployed, the researchers say, it will align seamlessly for storage and the time it takes for data to be synchronized among devices and git servers.
Initial testing on existing git services and public repositories (data sources available for researchers to test algorithms) has been successful.
“Privacy and security of software code has long been a concern for industry and individual users that rely on git services,” said one of the lead developers Associate Professor Qiang Tang, from the School of Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering. “Just like we want our messages to be private and safe, the IT industry also wants their code to be protected. End-to-end encryption is currently the gold standard to protect data.”
End-to-End encryption works by securing data from start to finish, meaning the data sent is protected from the source to the destination, even if the service platform is hacked. It is currently used in messaging services such as WhatsApp.
The researchers say the threat of security breaches to git services is becoming more commonplace. Earlier in the year cryptocurrency exchange CoinBase was a target. In 2022 Okta had source code stolen.
But Associate Professor Tang says current efforts on git security are not strong enough and with large overheads, which means when a significant amount of computational resources such as processing time, bandwidth, or storage is being used.
The researchers hope to introduce the code to git services for widespread use or intend to make it open source. The results will be presented at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security in October.
Collaborator Moti Yung, distinguished research scientist from Google, said that this was an excellent opportunity to protect the git services system and its users.
“The evolution of computing ecosystems always start with a new utility designed for trusted entities: the internet, the mobile networks, chat apps, and so on.
“Therefore, due to these utilities maturing and expanding, one has then to deal with less trusted and malicious players within the ecosystem. git services, enabling collaborations and version control among participants also started without thoroughly taking care of potential bad players, and the system proposed now is a necessary step to its maturity.”
Creating the security box for the world’s code and the rising demand for end- to-end security online
Imagine git services as a giant word document where countless people can write, edit and update content, but for computer code.
“What makes git services such as Github indispensable is their ability to host a large number of collaborators working on the same coding project at the same time, without losing any efficiency,” said Associate Professor Tang. “However, this advantage is also an obstacle that prevented git services from getting end-to-end encryption.”
When you use a messaging service, the content or text remains relatively unchanged, or the edits will be very minor.
But in GitHub, countless lines of code are being written, edited and updated constantly at a such a rapid rate, standard end-to-end encryption cannot keep up. It would constantly need to refresh to encrypt new versions.
“It’s a balancing act—keep the code safe but not where it impacts the user’s computer so much that it becomes a hindrance,” Tang added.
The research team was able to achieve this balance with a tradeoff—by using only small bits of computational power at a time to significantly reduce the level of communication and storage needed. Specifically, using character-level encryption where only edits are treated as new data to be encrypted and appended (added to an existing data collection). In this way, the pressure on computational resources becomes minimal.
Another way of putting it is if you removed a word from a sentence in a document, the code would recognize that and encrypt the change, instead of encrypting the entire document.
By doing this, it would save a large amount of bandwidth and storage otherwise used on each entire new version of the code.
Co-author Dr. Ya-Nan Li from the University of Sydney said another challenge was to identify the necessary security requirements, which at times could be subtle. For example, when to enable the tracking and public verification of the source of all edits.
“With addressing this issue, it leaves the git server vulnerable to the potential injection of malicious code and sometimes can even directly hinder confidentiality,” said Dr. Li.
More information:
Ya-Nan Li et al, End-to-End Encrypted Git Services, (2025). DOI: 10.1145/3719027.3744815. eprint.iacr.org/2025/1208
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Scientists develop end-to-end encryption for git services (2025, October 7)
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Today, Apple announced its new budget MacBook. At $599, it looks seriously impressive. While I haven’t tested its performance, battery life, or display just yet, it may end up being hard to beat at that price based on some of the specs alone.
But that doesn’t mean the competition isn’t there. I want to recommend a couple of Windows laptops deals that offer various advantages over the MacBook Neo, showing where the Neo has both strengths and weaknesses.
First, check out this Asus Vivobook 14, a laptop I’ve been happy to recommend as a budget computer for the past year. In many ways, this is the Windows version of a laptop like the MacBook Neo. It uses a highly-efficient ARM chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon X, meaning it gets great battery life and performs admirably in daily tasks. It’s not quite as thin or light as the MacBook Neo, but it’s fairly portable for a laptop at this price.
Unlike the MacBook Neo, the Vivobook 14 comes with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. That’s twice what you get in the MacBook Neo’s starting configuration. Right now, this configuration of the Vivobook 14 is on sale for $539. That’s a killer deal for those specs. It even comes with a healthier mix of ports, including HDMI, two USB-A, one USB-C, and a headphone jack. That also means it can support two external displays unlike the MacBook Neo, which can only handle just one.
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not at all saying the Vivobook 14 is a slam dunk over the MacBook Neo. Based on specs alone, I know the Vivobook 14 is a serious step down when it comes to the display. It’s less sharp, stretched across a larger screen, and the color performance isn’t so good. The Vivobook 14 maxes out at 280 nits, whereas Apple says the MacBook Neo can go all the way up to 500 nits. I have a hunch that the MacBook Neo will deliver a much better display in just about every regard.
There’s also the touchpad. It’s a little clunky to use, which is typical of budget Windows laptops. This is just a guess—but the touchpad on the MacBook Neo will likely feel smoother. It’s a mechanical trackpad (unlike the MacBook Air’s haptic feedback trackpad), but Apple has almost never made a bad trackpad.
If you’re not convinced by the Asus Vivobook 14, I’d also recommend the HP OmniBook 5, which is currently on sale for $500 and uses the same Snapdragon X chip. While it only has 256 GB of storage, it has a much better screen than the Vivobook 14, using an OLED display. It’s not any brighter than the Vivobook 14, but it gives you far better color performance and contrast. It’s also just 0.50 inches thick, matching the MacBook Neo exactly in portability.
Other Good USB Hubs to Consider
Ugreen Revodok Pro 211 Docking Station for $64: Most laptop docking stations are bulky gadgets that often require a power source, but this one from Ugreen straddles the line between dock and hub. It has a small, braided cable running to a relatively large aluminum block. It’s a bit hefty but still compact, and it packs a lot of extra power. It has three USB ports (one USB-C and two USB-A) that each reached up to 900 MB/s of data-transfer speeds in my testing. That was enough to move large amounts of 4K video footage in minutes. The only problem is that using dual monitors on a Mac is limited to only mirroring.
Photograph: Luke Larsen
Hyper HyperDrive Next Dual 4K Video Dock for $150: This one also straddles the line between dock and USB hub. Many mobile docks lack proper Mac support, only allowing for mirroring instead of full extension. The HyperDrive Next Dual 4K fixes that problem, though, making it a great option for MacBooks (though it won’t magically give an old MacBook Air dual-monitor support). Unfortunately, you’ll be paying handsomely for that capability, as this one is more expensive than the other options. The other problem is that although this dock has two HDMI ports that can support 4K, though only one will be at 60 Hz and the other will be stuck at 30 Hz. So, if you plan to use it with multiple displays, you’ll need to drop the resolution 1440p or 1080p on one of them. I also tested this Targus model, which is made by the same company, which gets you two 4K displays at 60 Hz but not on Mac.
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Anker USB-C Hub 5-in-1 for $20: This Anker USB hub is the one I carry in my camera bag everywhere. It plugs into the USB-C port on your laptop and provides every connection you’d need to offload photos or videos from camera gear. In our testing, the USB 3.0 ports reached transfer speeds over 400 MB/s, which isn’t quite as fast as some USB hubs on this list, but it’s solid for a sub-$50 device. Similarly, the SD card reader reached speeds of 80 MB/s for reading and writing, which isn’t the fastest SD cards can get, but adequate for moving files back and forth.—Eric Ravenscraft
Kensington Triple Video Mobile Dock for $83: Another mobile dock meant to provide additional external support, this one from Kensington can technically power up to three 1080p displays at 60 Hz using the two HDMI ports and one DisplayPort. It’s a lot of ports in a relatively small package, though the basic plastic case isn’t exactly inspiring.
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Global oil and gas prices have skyrocketed following the US attack on Iran last weekend. But another key global supply chain is also at risk, one that may directly impact American farmers who have already been squeezed for months by tariff wars. The conflict in the Middle East is choking global supplies of fertilizer right before the crucial spring planting season.
“This literally could not be happening at a worse time,” says Josh Linville, the vice president of fertilizer at financial services company StoneX.
The global fertilizer market focuses on three main macronutrients: phosphates, nitrogen, and potash. All of them are produced in different ways, with different countries leading in exports. Farmers consider a variety of factors, including crop type and soil conditions, when deciding which of these types of fertilizer to apply to their fields.
Potash and phosphates are both mined from different kinds of natural deposits; nitrogen fertilizers, by contrast, are produced with natural gas. QatarLNG, a subsidiary of Qatar Energy, a state-run oil and gas company, said on Monday that it would halt production following drone strikes on some of its facilities. This effectively took nearly a fifth of the world’s natural gas supply offline, causing gas prices in Europe to spike.
That shutdown puts supplies of urea, a popular type of nitrogen fertilizer, particularly at risk. On Tuesday, Qatar Energy said that it would also stop production of downstream products, including urea. Qatar was the second-largest exporter of urea in 2024. (Iran was the third-largest; it’s also a key exporter of ammonia, another type of nitrogen fertilizer.) Prices on urea sold in the US out of New Orleans, a key commodity port, were up nearly 15 percent on Monday compared to prices last week, according to data provided by Linville to WIRED. The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz is also preventing other countries in the region from exporting nitrogen products.
“When we look at ammonia, we’re looking at almost 30 percent of global production being either involved or at risk in this conflict,” says Veronica Nigh, a senior economist at the Fertilizer Institute, a US-based industry advocacy organization. “It gets worse when we think about urea. Urea is almost 50 percent.”
Other types of fertilizer are also at risk. Saudi Arabia, Nigh says, supplies about 40 percent of all US phosphate imports; taking them out of the equation for more than a few days could create “a really challenging situation” for the US. Other countries in the region, including Jordan, Egypt, and Israel, also play a big role in these markets.
“We are already hearing reports that some of those Persian Gulf manufacturers are shutting down production, because they’re saying, ‘I have a finite amount of storage for my supply,’” Linville says. “‘Once I reach the top of it, I can’t do anything else. So I’m going to shut down my production in order to make sure I don’t go over above that.’”
Conflict in the strait has intensified in the early part of this week, as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have reportedly threatened any ship passing through the strait. Traffic has slowed to a crawl. The Trump administration announced initiatives on Tuesday meant to protect oil tankers traveling through the strait, including providing a naval escort. Even if those initiatives succeed—which the shipping industry has expressed doubt about—much of the initial energy will probably go toward shepherding oil and gas assets out of the region.
“Fertilizer is not going to be the most valuable thing that’s gonna transit the strait,” says Nigh.
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