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Re: US Postal Service Bailout Imminent?

By: Decomposed in ROUND | Recommend this post (0)
Thu, 19 Apr 12 7:00 PM | 53 view(s)
Boardmark this board | De's Test Board 		Msg. 40619 of 45510
(This msg. is a reply to 40618 by killthecat)
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For better or worse, a sea change is coming our way in about 20 years.

Currently, encryption is based on ever-more complex algorithms and lengthy, complex keys. The better algorithms are now using 512-bit and larger keys, and I'm sure it will be in the multiple-k range before we know it.

Some of ciphertext is now supposed to take a quadrillion TO THE QUADRILLION operations to crack, rendering decryption without the key almost an impossibility.

EXCEPT that quantum computing is on the horizon. While conventional computing deals with bits set to one or zero, a quantum computer can view the bits simultanously as one, zero, and every state in between. Take a minute and let that sink in.

This will revolutionize everyone's ability to decipher text. I think I heard that the quadrillion ^ quadrillion operations mentioned above will be reduced to SIXTY. I said that right. SIXTY. With quantum computers, ciphertext can be cracked in fewer steps than it took to encrypt it in the first place.

And what are we going to do then? I don't know. But it sure is going to be hard to keep a secret.




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Gold is $1,581/oz today. When it hits $2,000, it will be up 26.5%. Let's see how long that takes. - De 3/11/2013 - ANSWER: 7 Years, 5 Months


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The above is a reply to the following message:
Re: US Postal Service Bailout Imminent?
By: killthecat in ROUND
Thu, 19 Apr 12 6:28 PM 		Msg. 40618 of 45510

DE:

I have a permanent headache dealing with passwords, especially those that aren't one of my kid's names.

If I remember, the Census Bureau demanded upper and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters in their passwords, as well as minimum length. That was in addition to fingerprint readers, tokens, a radically reduced and restricted Windows operating system, encryption, no internet, no email, and no off-loading or on-loading of anything. Best I've seen other than some MIT systems that are truly bizarre.

All I was saying is that the Census Bureau did the best they could in protecting their data and the people who provided the information, especially from other government agencies. There were other techniques employed to discourage illicit prying. Of course, one national security ruling by a judge can blow the whole effort up. Just can't keep our scumbags at bay.

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