Cyber Security

Came across this BBC program on Cyber Security the other day. A very fascinating documentary about threats and security of the invisible net that is connecting our world together. With the increasing connection of software and infrastructure, the stakes are high, and yet, most of us are oblivious to these strange worlds.

 07/2018 Unfortunately the original video referred to in this post is no longer available. If you are interested in this subject this BBC documentary Zero Days also looks good.

Internet loopholes and Social Engineering

The story begins with the horrific tales of people losing control of their online accounts and devices. Have you ever forgotten your passwords or payment details and found it rather easy to reset to regain access to your account? Well, some clever strangers may use a combination of loopholes from different services to take over your online identity - one by one.. that is a rather scary thought but it is also very real.

Stuxnet and Cyber Weapon

This part of the documentary was an eye opener. How many of you know what a "zero day exploit" is? (rare flaws in codes that no one else has noticed); what a name! When they start describing virus that alters Programmable Logic Controller codes that are used to run factories and automation processes, suddenly things starts to sound very serious. 

They claim that Stuxnet was created by a nation state to stop a particular process in another country. The idea of altering PLC codes to make a particular type of centrifuges run faster or slower, and in the process disrupt any potential uranium enrichment activities is really quite genius. However, once created and released, this "weapon" may become available to others and be used for other purposes. What do we do now? :S

Encryption and prime numbers

I wish my teachers gave us more concrete examples of how maths and sciences are very relevant in the real world when I was in school. Why did I not know that prime numbers are so important that the world will literally stop without them?

In order to use all your Internet services securely, we need a way to encrypt data very quickly one way, and make it very hard for others to undo the encryption. The idea of multiplying two prime numbers to get a semi-prime for this purpose is again, quite genius. Multiplying two prime numbers is a relatively fast process; however, once you get the product, which is called a semi-prime, it is very difficult to work out which prime numbers were used originally to get this number. And there you have it, easy to encode, but hard to decode, the beauty of RSA algorithm.

Quantum processors and computing

RSA encryption is effective based on the assumption that the result will take eons to crack even using the currently fastest High Performance Computing technology. But computers are getting more and more powerful all the time, and some future technologies may eventually catch up with encryption methods.

Quantum computing, which can theoretically look at "all" possible answers simultaneously, certainly has this potential. Imagine if a computer can look at all answers and select one that shows up as the highest probability which occurs a lot more times than any other answers.

The quantum world is another fascinating area that most of us just never think about. I have no idea what I am talking about here. But I have always imagined that the world probably has infinite numbers of outcomes, every decisions, every actions, but the one we live in is the one with the highest probability, based on the conditions of all other events. This would be a good topic for another day.

Quantum cryptography

This ingenious idea is based on another property of our strange world. I did not think such service is already available. I first came across this strange phenomenon back in school (many years ago now). It got my attention because it involved a cat, schrodinger's cat to be more precise. Basically, as I understand it, at the very small scale, our world changes if somebody is looking at it. So, using quantum encryption, you can tell if someone is "listening in" to your data.

What surprised me is that this technology is already being used by banks and secret agencies, and is commercially available if you have the money.

Ultra paranoid computing

I can see why all of the above can make someone ultra paranoid, don't blame them. A group of individuals feel that way and are looking into extreme ways for security. Fingerprints and iris scans are not 100%, but going to the brain and encode password to the subconscious is a bit much isn't it? I can't see people taking 5-15 minutes to log-on to systems, you will need to be very patient.

The Weakest link

The idea that human beings are ultimately the weakest security link is very interesting as well. Next time you see an identified USB stick in the office, please do not stick it up your computer, you have no idea what it will do...

Phew, that was a lot of material in one documentary. Thanks to the BBC for making such fantastic educational materials.