4th QCS Webinar: "Public-cryptography is bad for security" with Dr. Daniel Shiu, Arqit

"Public-key cryptography is bad for security"

Public key cryptography (PKC, or asymmetric cryptography) had a revolutionary effect on the theory of cryptography. PKC’s use of pure mathematical hard problems led to a study of academic, theoretical cryptography, where intricate systems could produce a wide range of applications.

These ideas quickly found a home in the early days of the Internet. However, the novelty of PKC led to a history of decades of subtle security vulnerabilities. Immature or incomplete understanding of highly technical mathematics, combined with deeply complex systems with large attack surfaces, has provided security researchers and cyber attackers alike with a steady source of faults. Many of these have severely compromised information exchanged on the Internet.

This talk will give examples of the issues introduced, examine common themes that they share and show how they are a consequence of the nature of PKC. The talk is intended to be accessible to those without prior deep cryptographic knowledge.

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