Category Archives: Encryption

FBI suddenly cancels Capitol Hill briefing on warrant-proof encryption – Just The News

The FBI unexpectedly cancelled two briefings about encryption on Monday, which were scheduled for later this week, without offering any explanation.

The briefings were the second part of the FBI's series for Capitol Hill staffers titled "priority topics," and would have focused on how encryption has created challenges for the federal bureau when investigatingviolent crimes against children and transnational organized crime, per Politico. The first in the series was held last month, and focused on the fentanyl crisis.

The two briefings, scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday, have been indefinitely delayed but no further details on the reason for the cancellation have been released. The FBI said it hopes to reschedule the briefings at a later date.

Regrettably, due to circumstances outside of the FBIs control, the briefings on the FBIs Efforts on Warrant-Proof Encryption which were originally scheduled for June 18th and June 20th, have been unexpectedly postponed, an email announcing the cancellation said. The FBI sees tremendous value in informing Congress on various issues and especially recognizes the importance of this particular topic, so we deeply apologize for any inconvenience to those who were planning to participate.

The FBI has urged tech companies like Apple to provide a backdoor for law enforcement officers to legally access encrypted data if they have a search warrant. But tech companies have expressed concern that adding a backdoor on social media sites could make private data more easily accessible for hackers and other cybercriminals.

The FBI said that encryption software used in apps like Signal have made it harder to monitor communications on those apps by criminals, including terrorists and child sex traffickers.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You canfollow her on Xfor more coverage.

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FBI suddenly cancels Capitol Hill briefing on warrant-proof encryption - Just The News

Now You Can Have an Encrypted Backup for Your iPhone Photos – Lifewire

Now you can opt to backup your iPhone photos to an encrypted service that can only be accessed by you.

iPhones have automatic photo backup to iCloud, but that's not an encrypted service, but if you want to increase the security of those pictures, you can always add a third-party that offers encryption.

According to Proton's newest announcement, sent to Lifewire via email, you now have the option to backup your iPhone photos in the encrypted Proton Drive. Statistics show that we take more than 5 billion photos per day, and many of them contain sensitive information, so backing them up to an encrypted drive makes good sense from a security standpoint.

Proton

The new Proton Drive capability requires setup, but once you've turned on the photo backup feature, then your iPhone photos will automatically back up to Proton Drive. You can even designate photos that you would like to be available offline so you can access them even when you don't have internet access. And, of course, the photos will be fully encrypted, whether you're online or not. Proton promises that it can't access your images (or anything else stored in your Proton Drive).

Proton also assures that photo management in Proton Drive will be easy to use, including a Photos tab to easily access your photos,

Proton Drive is available as a free service with 5GB storage, but if you need additional space, Proton also offers a subscription service with several tiers, including Drive Plus, a $3.99/mo subscription that gives you access to 200GB storage space, Proton Unlimited with 500GB per month storage and a subscription to Proton VPN, Proton Mail, and Proton Pass premium features for $9.99/mo, and Proton Family that gives you up to 3TB shared storage, all the benefits of Proton Unlimited, and the ability to share access with up to 6 other users. It also offers a monthly grid to help you easily organize your photos and intuitive controls to preview and download your images.

Proton Drive photo backup for iPhone is available now. The Android version of this feature was released in December 2023.

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Now You Can Have an Encrypted Backup for Your iPhone Photos - Lifewire

EU divided over encryption-busting to stop child sexual abuse – The Straits Times

BRUSSELS - Deep divisions within the EU over weakening encryption on messaging apps such as WhatsApp in order to crack down on the sharing of child sexual abuse is putting off a decision on the issue.

EU ambassadors were to have tackled the matter in a meeting on June 20, but dropped it from their agenda because of wariness by several countries including Germany over a fear they could be opening the door to disproportionate snooping on Europeans private online communications.

It became apparent that the qualified majority needed simply wouldnt be reached, a Belgian diplomat said.

The item was withdrawn from the agenda and consultations will go on, the diplomat said, on condition of anonymity.

The European Commission has been pushing the issue as a key tool to crack down on the spread of images of child sexual abuse online.

It wants platforms and messaging app companies to be able to screen content sent through their services to detect the illegal images.

But to be able to do that, the companies will need to be able to peel back the encryption many apply to services such as WhatsApp, Signal and others to see what users are sending and receiving.

While the European Union already has a landmark law, the Digital Services Act, that aims to curb illegal online content, it does not apply to messaging apps, which users consider private spaces.

With the impasse, the issue will be kicked down the road for further discussions that will take place under the EU presidency of Hungary, which takes on the role from Belgium.

According to the European Commission, Meta parent of Facebook in 2022 detected more than 6.6 million images of child sexual abuse on its Instagram and Messenger platforms involving a user inside the European Union.

X, formerly Twitter, has shut down 2.3 million user accounts because of child sexual exploitation content. AFP

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EU divided over encryption-busting to stop child sexual abuse - The Straits Times

EU plans to scan your messages, including encrypted ones – Android Headlines

The European Union (EU) is seeking to scan your messages, including encrypted ones, to detect and stop child sex abuse material (CSAM). The proposed chat control legislation will undergo a vote in the EU Council later today. If the controversial new legislation passes this voting round, it will move forward in the Councils law-making process.

In this AI-powered digital world, child safety is one of the major concerns for lawmakers and parents alike. While internet platforms have placed various rules and regulations to make children safer online, these systems arent foolproof. The EU believes it can develop a more effective measurescanning private messages to prevent the spread of CSAM.

Introduced in May 2022, this controversial regulation aims to implement an upload moderation system. Service providers must install a vetted monitoring technology that scans all your digital messages. It will check for potential child sex abuse material in images, videos, and links you share. Users will be asked to allow permission to scan their messages. You cannot share media files and links if you dont allow permission.

Interestingly, the European lawmakers who drafted this regulation made arguments both in favor of and against end-to-end encryption (E2EE). The proposed law says E2EE is a necessary means of protecting fundamental rights. However, it also states that encrypting messages could inadvertently make messaging apps secure zones where child sexual abuse material can be shared or disseminated.

The regulation doesnt ask service providers to lift E2EE in Europe. Instead, it wants a backdoor that allows scanning of the message before it is encrypted. This new moderation system leaves messages open for scanning without compromising the layer of privacy offered by end-to-end encryption. E2EE doesnt allow anyone apart from the sender and receiver to read the message, not even the messaging platform and governments.

Before the regulation goes into the voting round later today, several privacy advocates and industry players have expressed concerns over it. Organizationsincluding theElectronic Frontier Foundation, theCenter for Democracy & Technology, and Mozilla have signed a joint statement urging the EU to reject the law. Many European Parliament members have also opposed the proposed law.

Encrypted messaging platform Signal plans to exit Europe if this law is passed. We will leave the EU market rather than undermine our privacy guarantees, said Signal President Meredith Whittaker. This proposalif passed and enforced against uswould require us to make this choice. Its surveillance wine in safety bottles. It remains to be seen what the EU Council decides. It wont be a long wait, so stay tuned.

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EU plans to scan your messages, including encrypted ones - Android Headlines

Shutter Launches First Threshold Encrypted Mempool for Ethereum-like Networks on Gnosis Chain to Combat US$900 … – Investing.com

Mainz, Germany, June 19th, 2024, Chainwire

Shutter, an open-source protocol initially developed by brainbot and focused on preventing malicious maximal extractable value (MEV) attacks, today announced the launch of a new anti-front running solution using mempool encryption to combat the exploitation of nearly US$900 million taken from crypto trades annually. Partnering with Gnosis, the architects of the fully EVM-compatible Layer-1 Gnosis Chain, Shutter will be integrated into the Gnosis Chain to protect end-user transactions from front running and sandwich attacks, shielding traders from malicious MEV activities that can result in significant monetary loss and unfair influence.

Setting a New Standard for MEV Protection with Deep Chain Integration

MEV attacks are transactions by attackers that manipulate the outcome of the target transaction within a blockchain that maximizes financial gain for malicious actors at the expense of traders and end-users. Common malicious MEV activities include sandwich attacks, where an attacker places their transactions both before and after a victim's transaction. This manipulates the token price to the attackers advantage, typically driving up the price of the token for the victim.

Despite the growing incidences of such attacks, existing solutions to this problem often fall short of holistically addressing the complexities of MEV attacks. Many traders still remain unaware that they are victims of exploitation until significant losses are incurred. Even once they are made aware, victims have to take extra steps to protect themselves, often relying on centralized systems that can still censor and extract value.

To address this gap, Shutter provides malicious MEV protection and a layer of censorship resistance via the threshold encrypted mempool built into the Gnosis Chain. Distinguishing itself from existing methods of tackling MEV attacks, Shutter integrates its encryption protocol directly into blockchain networks, preventing manipulators from exploiting transactions. This deep integration means block producers must commit to the inclusion and order of transactions while they are still encrypted, making it almost impossible to front run or censor. This also ensures that traders are protected from monetary losses without needing additional measures.

Tackling Unchecked Spread of Malicious MEV Attacks with Decentralized Encryption for Fair Trading

Shutters unique approach is exceptionally critical in todays maturing Web3 landscape where hundreds of millions of dollars are stolen each year on alone through MEV tactics. These attacks exploit the public nature of blockchains and remain largely unchecked, consequently reducing market efficiency, diminishing trust in the system, and making it fundamentally unfair.

Shutter's encrypted mempool also mitigates real-time censorship, ensuring transactions remain private until included in a block. This prevents malicious actors from selectively excluding transactions, reinforcing the core principles of public blockchainsopenness, neutrality, and accessibility. By increasing information symmetry through Shutters encryption approach, the playing field is leveled. At the same time, the integrity of public blockchains is preserved, providing greater confidence for retail and large institutional investors typically deterred by rampant front running in decentralized finance (DeFi) to enter the space, attracting a broader range of participants in the long run.

A Strategic Integration

Gnosis Chains integration of Shutter directly tackles the rampant issue of malicious MEV through preventive measures as opposed to many other blockchains that continue to struggle to resolve such growing issues, marking a significant milestone for not just the Shutter community, but the industry at large. Charting towards the shared vision of a more equitable blockchain ecosystem, Gnosis Chains relentless focus on decentralization and accessibility harmonizes with Shutters efforts to address contemporary industry challenges impeding the adoption of Web3. Ultimately, Shutter will play a vital role in encouraging safer crypto trades, increasing censorship resistance, and preventing value leakage.

A Vision for the Future

This integration is one of many in the pipeline for Shutter that helps build momentum toward combating malicious MEV attacks across the Ethereum ecosystem. Collectively, Shutter and its partners will shield the users from manipulation, ensuring equitable access and maintaining a neutral base layer.

About Shutter

Shutter is a free open-source software designed to protect the crypto community from those manipulating the blockchain for their own gain. Using threshold encryption, Shutter ensures base layer neutrality, information symmetry, and accessibility in trading, voting, and gaming.

About brainbot

brainbot GmbH specializes in the development, distribution, licensing, and operation of software, alongside providing a wide range of related services. As the core developer behind Shutter, brainbot plays a pivotal role in advancing blockchain technology.

About Gnosis

Gnosis is developed by a world-class team of leading forces in blockchain and payments. The Gnosis Chain is architected with community ownership, resilience, and credible neutrality at its core. The highly decentralized network is secured by 200K+ validators and 2K+ nodes, across 70 countries and 5 continents.

ContactWachsmanshutter@wachsman.com

This article was originally published on Chainwire

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Shutter Launches First Threshold Encrypted Mempool for Ethereum-like Networks on Gnosis Chain to Combat US$900 ... - Investing.com

EU on the verge of new law that would scan "all your digital messages" on iPhone and beyond, even if they’re encrypted – iMore

The European Union is inching ever closer to adopting a new law proposal that could see every digital message sent on iPhone and beyond in the territory scanned in the name of detecting child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

As reported by The Verge on Thursday, The European Union is getting closer to passing new rules that would mandate the bulk scanning of digital messages including encrypted ones.

A vote on the proposals, first unveiled in 2022, has been set for Thursday. As noted by privacy advocate Patrick Breyer, many EU countries are on the fence about the new proposals. Belgium looks set to back the laws, and only Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, and Poland are relatively clear that they will not support the proposal.

The EU is proposing a technology dubbed upload monitoring as part of its plans to stop the proliferation of CSAM content within the territory. The compromise was proposed in May by Belgium in order to try and get the legislation, which has been bogged down because of its far-reaching privacy consequences, over the line. As Euronews explains: The new amendment would compel encrypted messaging services, such as WhatsApp, Messenger, Signal, or Telegram, to integrate scanning technology into their systems to monitor photos, videos, and URLs. These scanners would analyze content to detect child sexual abuse imagery and report it to authorities. Users will reportedly have to consent to the scanning, but refusing would see them prevented from ending pictures, videos, or URLs over popular messaging services including WhatsApp, Messenger, Signal, and iMessage. While messages would technically remain encrypted once sent, the upload monitoring technology would ensure theyre scanned before theyre encrypted.

While the EU has tiptoed around the issue of encryption, comments made at the European Data Protection Supervisor (EDPS) 20th anniversary summit could give more light. Reported early Thursday, EU Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova reportedly stated that the EC proposal for regulation would break encryption. As reported on X: "EU Commissioner for Justice Vera Jourova has said the EC proposal for the #CSARegulation would break encryption, and that this is right because of the need to protect children. This is the first time I've *ever* heard the EU Commission admit on record that their CSAR proposal would break encryption. Complete 180 reversal from the repeated claim over the last 3 years from Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson that the proposal does not break encryption."

The President of Signal, Meredith Whittaker, has recently slammed the proposals, claiming that there is no way to implement the mass scanning of everyones private communications against a government-curated database without fundamentally undermining encryption and creating a dangerous vulnerability in core infrastructure that would have global implications well beyond Europe.

Mandating mass scanning of private communications fundamentally undermines encryption. Full stop, Whittaker wrote. The strong backlash against the move is reminiscent of Apples own plans to adopt CSAM scanning technology on iPhone a few years ago. While Apples Child Safety features do include a warning system that can detect when a child is sent an explicit message, more ambitious plans to scan the hashes of photos uploaded to iCloud against a database of known CSAM material were met with fervent pushback, and quietly dropped a few months after they were announced.

iMore offers spot-on advice and guidance from our team of experts, with decades of Apple device experience to lean on. Learn more with iMore!

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EU on the verge of new law that would scan "all your digital messages" on iPhone and beyond, even if they're encrypted - iMore

Elon Musk-Backed Signal App, And Proton Slam EU’s ‘Upload Moderation’ Proposal For Encrypted Chats: ‘Mass … – Benzinga

The European Union is set to vote on a controversial proposal that could potentially undermine encryption by allowing the scanning of private communications for illegal content. This has been slammed by Elon Musk-backed Signal app, and encrypted email provider, Proton.

What Happened: The EU Council is scheduled to vote on the Chat Control proposal on Thursday. The proposal, which was initially set for a vote on Wednesday, has been met with criticism for its potential to compromise the privacy of online communications.

The proposal requires internet service providers to scan private chats, emails, social media messages, and photos for illegal content, such as child sexual abuse material, or CSAM.

To address the challenge of outlawing encryption, the proposal suggests client-side scanning or upload moderation, which involves analyzing content on users devices before it is encrypted and transmitted.

Signals CEO, Meredith Whittaker, has warned that this proposal would fundamentally undermine encryption and create a global vulnerability in core infrastructure. Whittaker, in an open letter, stated that the proposal was unworkable and dangerous.

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This has also been slammed by Proton as well, which is a provider of encrypted email and other services.

"Upload Moderation is a mass surveillance program. We urge EU governments to reject mass scanning of their citizens communications by voting against this proposal tomorrow."

Other legislative proposals, such as the US Earn-It Act and the UK Online Safety Act, also consider client-side scanning as a means to preempt the use of encryption.

See Also: Mark Zuckerberg Is Worth $179B Today, But 2 Decades Ago He Was Already Getting A Couple of Marriage Prop

Why It Matters: The proposal to undermine encryption in the EU is not an isolated incident. Governments and tech companies have been at odds over the issue of encryption and online safety for some time.

In 2023, the UK urged Meta Platforms to prioritize child safety over encryption on its platforms. This came following the passage of the Online Safety Bill, which aimed to protect children from potential risks on social media.

Meanwhile, Apple has been battling the UK governments proposed amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act, which could potentially secretly veto new security features worldwide.

Now, with the EU Council set to vote on a proposal that could undermine encryption, the debate over online safety, privacy, and the role of tech companies in ensuring both continues to intensify.

Check out more ofBenzingasConsumer Tech coverage byfollowing this link.

Read Next: Elon Musk Echoes Nvidia CEO Jensen Huangs Prediction About Humanoid Robots

Disclaimer:This content was partially produced withthe help ofBenzinga Neuroand wasreviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

Photo courtesy: Pixabay

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Elon Musk-Backed Signal App, And Proton Slam EU's 'Upload Moderation' Proposal For Encrypted Chats: 'Mass ... - Benzinga

Proton Drive gets advanced sharing options built on end-to-end encryption – 9to5Mac

Proton is out today with upgrades for its sharing capabilities that offer an improved experience while maintaining high security standards. Heres whats new.

The company announced the new Proton Drive sharing options in a blog post:

Today, were excited to announce new enhancements to Proton Drives sharing functionality, giving you greater control over who you share with and how you share your files and folders.

This feature builds on how sharing currently works in Drive by letting you share directly with specific people using their email addresses. You can set viewer or editor permissions and revoke access anytime, offering a much higher level of security and control. Were rolling out these improvements to the entire Proton community over the next few days.

Heres what to expect with the new Proton Drive sharing features:

Proton says the new features are now available to users via the web with support coming to iOS, Android, and desktop soon.

Proton Drive is free for anyone with 5 GB of storage included. Paid plans go up to 3TB.

Proton Unlimited plans include all of the companys services plus 500 GB of storage and are priced from aslow as $7.99/monthwhen choosing the 2-year plan or from$12.99/monthwhen paying monthly.

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Proton Drive Is Getting Even Better – How-To Geek

Proton Drive is the encrypted cloud storage service from the company that brought you Proton VPN and Proton Mail. It has received a few helpful improvements over the past year, and now there are new file sharing options and other changes.

Proton has announced a series of significant upgrades to its cloud storage service, Proton Drive. The update introduces enhanced sharing functionality, allowing users to share files directly with others via email while maintaining complete control over access permissions. You're able to set viewer or editor permissions in a whim, and if something goes wrong, you can always retroactively revoke access so that those users can't access those files. It's pretty neat, and makes Proton Drive a powerful file sharing tool that also happens to be encrypted.

With this update, Proton Drive is becoming an even better tool for sharing files regardless of whether you're a privacy-conscious individual or a business where security is your top priority. As it's always the case with announcements of this kind, Proton is yet again re-emphasizing the fact that complete privacy is its priority, and everything, including this new feature, takes into account end-to-end encryption. Your files are only for yourself and for whoever you share them with, and not even Proton can get over this encryption.

Proton Drive's enhanced sharing features allow users to create shared file spaces for seamless and secure collaboration, while maintaining full privacy and control over their data. Anant Vijay Singh, Product Lead for Proton Drive, says that "unlike Google and Apple, which maintain access to your data, Proton offers full privacy through end-to-end encryption. This feature gives users complete control of their data, keeping it private from everyone except those they choose to share it with." He went on to add that "Proton Drive now combines familiar collaboration tools with uncompromising security and privacy."

If you want to give improved file sharing in Proton Drive a spin, you can now do so from the web, while mobile versions will be getting this feature in the near future as well. It's available for everyone, including for free and Unlimited users.

Source: Proton

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Destiny 2: How to unlock legendary and exotic Khvostov – PC Gamer

The Destiny 2: The Final Shape expansion allows us to reminisce on our Guardians journey throughout the story, with returning areas and even our very first weapon: Khvostov. However, the journey to unlock it is not an easy one, whether you are going for the legendary or exotic variant. If you want both, then you better strap in for one of the grindiest weapon hunts in Destiny 2 for a while.

Here we'll run through how to get both variants of the gun, including how to find the Lost Encryption Bits you need to open the chest in The Divide, and the Motes of Light to open the exotic Khvostov chest in the Old Tower. It's worth noting that while you can get legendary Khvostov right now, since an overthrow boss in The Bloom has been a bit bugged, it might not be possible to get the final Mote of Light you need from it until that's fixed.

To unlock legendary Khvostov you need to do the following:

Before you can even work towards getting the legendary Khvostov, your first step is to finish The Final Shapes campaign and then the Queens I mission, which is a part of the Destined Heroes exotic quest unlocked at the end of the campaign. You then need to progress Micah-10s questline in the Old Tower through the Convalescence quests to access the Cyst activities and the Alone in the Dark quest. You'll need take this quest multiple times to access all of the Cysts and grab the Lost Encryption Bit located in each.

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Now that you are able to take on the Alone In The Dark quest, you need to find 15 Lost Encryption Bits. While nine of these are located in region chests marked by crosses on the mapthree in The Landing, The Bloom, and The Impassethe other six are located within the Cyst activities that unlock each time you take the Alone in the Dark quest from Micah.

Within each Cyst, you'll need to search for a hidden pile of junk from which you can get each Lost Encryption Bit.

At the end of this mission, you can head out through the path under the cliff in the boss room. Follow the lava until you jump up to a small rock before another pool of lava. Just to your right, before you cross the lava, you can find a small crevice you can get through. In here, is the junk pile.

Early on in the mission, after unlocking the door with the Hive runes, you will fight an ogre. Jump down beneath where it was standing and head inside one of the caves to find the Encryption Bit in the junk pile.

At the end of the mission, after defeating the boss, you will see a cave with a purple light in the boss room. The Encryption Bit is in here, in the small drop down area beneath the rocks you can platform across.

At the end of the mission, you will fight an ogre. Once it is defeated, look for the cave with the tree trunk in front of it in the boss room. The Encryption Bit, and a Vision of the Traveler, which you need for a step to get the exotic variant, can be found here.

At the end of the mission, after you fight the boss, you can look across the cave from where it was to find a purple-lit cave. In here is the pile of junk with the Encryption Bit.

The final Encryption Bit is located about midway through this mission. After you fight the ogre on the staircase (its the second ogre in the mission), you can follow the path ahead through the gap high up in the wall. Instead, of going through the upper path, head through the gap lower down. Destroy the wall with the sword to find the final pile of junk behind it.

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Now you have all the Lost Encryption Bits, you'll want to travel to The Impasse in The Pale Heart. Head through into The Divide Cosmodrome wall until you reach the golden chest; it's just to the right after the first corridor where the ground starts to turn icy. This is where you first picked up the Khvostov in Destiny. This legendary version has multiple perk choices including Strategist, Pugilist, and Demolitionist in column one, and then Multikill Clip and Attrition Orbs in column two.

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The exotic variant of Khvostov is a suped up version of the gun with set perks, unlike its legendary counterpart. Its unique trait is that every seventh bullet from this weapon deals additional damage and ricochets to nearby targets.

Here are the steps to get it:

The most challenging part of doing this is defeating the Overthrow bosses, since it's random which one you'll get when you reach the final tier of an Overthrow, and that can make this process a bit grindy. You'll also have to gather the Visions of the Traveler this video from Esoterickk is a handy resource for getting them all quick. At least one of these is located within a Cyst activity, so that means you'll need to progress Micah-10's questline to gain access as well.

As mentioned above, the 'meatball boss' in The Blooming was disabled for a while due a bug where it was eating players' Motes of Light instead of dropping 17th one. While the boss is back now, it's currently unclear whether it's entirely fixed and will drop the mote you need.

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Destiny 2: How to unlock legendary and exotic Khvostov - PC Gamer