WordPress Now Uses Cryptographic Public-Key Signature Much Like Monero

WordPress’s content management system has just been updated with a whole host of new security features. WordPress 5.2 will feature an Ed25519 public-key signature system, much like Monero (XMR).  With WordPress being installed on around 34 percent of all internet sites, security is a must. The platform has just unveiled new security updates which should put web owners at ease. One of them is the implementation of an Ed25519 public-key system which will allow users to digitally sign all update packages. All local installations can now be verified to ensure authenticity before installation. More than just protecting against malicious installations, the new cryptographic measures also boost protections for the entire update system overall. Security firms have warned that a supply-chain attack was possible if WordPress’s update server was ever hacked. With the release of WordPress 5.2, hackers would need to both somehow sign the key and also infiltrate WordPress’s own centralized servers. Such a feat seems, for the time being, near impossible. EdDSA public-key cryptography was developed to be secure without the slow speeds of other protocols. One of the most popular use-cases of the EdDSA public key has been the CryptoNote cryptocurrency protocol. Originally designed to solve the reported problems with Bitcoin Core, the protocol has been hugely influential among privacy-oriented cryptocurrencies. Today, CryptoNote is most famously used for Monero (XMR). Written in C++, the latest iteration of CryptoNote was released in 2013 in a paper by Nicolas van Saberhagen. With WordPress now adopting the same EdDSA cryptography, it seems that the massive platform has learned quite a bit from the cryptocurrency space. As the years go on without a major breach or hiccup, Monero’s CryptoNote protocol is proving itself as a ‘gold standard’ of security. In due time, it just may serve as a model for cryptographic security and privacy beyond just the blockchain industry. Do you think WordPress was inspired by Monero’s CryptoNote protocol in any way? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.