ECOMMERCE'S SECURE SOCKET LAYER (SSL) encryption is broken, the founder of the Black Hat conference told delegates at this year's event.

Speaking at Black Hat 2010's keynote session on the first day the conference founder Jeff Moss was scathing about the current state of Internet security for businesses and consumers.

"Thirteen years down the line since the first conference and we're still not able to conduct business online," he said. "SSL is broken, and while it's great to see things are going better now it's a long way down the line."

However, security specialist Dan Kaminsky disagreed, saying there is still considerable usefulness in SSL.

While the situation isn't perfect the US government is working to sort out problems and make cyberspace safe for citizens, Jane Holl Lute, US Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), told delegates in her keynote. One of the key remits for the DHS was securing cyberspace she said, "Wars end lives, but cyberspace destroys them".

The speed of technological advancement is such that the tools that are now available are almost beyond our ability to use them Holl Lute told delegates, although she doubted that will be true in the long term.

She said that a comprehensive cybersecurity exercise will be carried out this Autumn and the DHS is gearing up for major moves to protect the online infrastructure of the US and the world.