Summary

In this in-depth interview, cryptography researcher Matilda Backendal discusses applied cryptography, end-to-end encryption vulnerabilities, password manager security flaws, and the future of cryptographic research. Gain insights into real-world security challenges and best practices for protecting digital data.

Keywords

cryptography, end-to-end encryption, cloud storage security, password managers, cryptographic research, privacy, zero-knowledge proofs, digital identity, homomorphic encryption

Key topics

Applied cryptography and real-world applications

Vulnerabilities in end-to-end encryption systems

Security flaws in cloud storage and password managers

Cryptographic research and formal verification

Future trends and challenges in cryptography

 Sound bites

"Crypto is all around us in daily life."

"Most cloud storage isn't end-to-end encrypted by default."

"User-chosen passwords are a major security factor."

Links

Matilda's Website - https://mbackendal.github.io/

Paper - Zero Knowledge (About) Encryption: A Comparative Security Analysis of Three Cloud-based Password Managers - https://eprint.iacr.org/2026/058