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Our present day cyber civilization will soundly collapse if NIST post quantum cryptography fails. Cryptography is the hidden foundation of our modern life, and quantum computers are an imminent and present danger.

 

After many years of unheeded warnings today’s financial and civil leaders are genuinely alarmed. Alas they all look to NIST — The US National Institute of Standards and Technology  to save the day.  And they do, putting forth post quantum algorithms claimed to stop quantum cryptanalysis.

 

These algorithms reflect high level math which makes them immunized against  criticism.  When a cyber security firm like BitMint argues that NIST is wrong headed, we are summarily ignored.  Our clients say: "This math thing is over my head, so I trust NIST cryptographers and hope for the best."

 

History is replete with instances of catastrophes for which in hindsight it turned out that alarming  voices were ignored.  So it is incumbent on us who believe that NIST is not giving a solid answer to the challenge, to come up with a way to get heard.

 

Here is such a way:

 

Quantum computing is regarded as a faster way to calculate. So if we use classic (Turing) computers to pile up more stuff to be calculated then we will prevent quantum computers from defeating us on account of their greater speed.   That is the underlying NIST strategy.

 

Alas, quantum computers represent a revolutionary new philosophy for computing.  Taking historical lessons:  Edison’s light bulb was no linear extension of "candles technology", and the steam locomotive was not merely a faster "horse and carriage".   The first trains were slow and lost races to fast horses, but very soon there was no comparison.

 

NIST points to quantum capability published last century, claiming they can handle it.  Most likely, yes. But that is not the question that needs to be answered.

 

Once Edison introduced the first rudimentary bulb, the momentum of innovation abandoned "candles technology" and shifted to the bulb.  After the steam engine showed up, there was still innovation on improving carriages, but the momentum of innovation was all focused on the engine.

 

Turing machines — the ones we use in our phone and everywhere — are getting faster and better, but the momentum, the innovation, the zeal goes towards the totally different philosophy of computing: the quantum way.

 

So even if today’s algorithms, declared by NIST as ‘certified’ are doing their job,  this success is bound to be short lived. The tsunami of innovation that carries the quantum will wash away with ridicule any computation barrier put forth by classic machines.

 

To stop the quantum assault and protect our cyber civilization we need to meet the quantum on its turf — nonlinear innovation.

 

That is the kind of innovation offered by BitMint.   The essential difference between quantum computing and classic computing is encapsulated in one word: probability.  Classic computers compute an answer by following a preset sequence of steps. Quantum computers do things that assigns high probability to the right answer.   BitMint fights quantum on its turf: probability.  We interfere with the quantum process that is assigning a high probability to the correct answer.  We keep probability spread around.  We challenge quantum at its very heart, and so we help save humanity’s modern abode: cyberspace.

 

I write this piece for non-mathematicians. It is aimed at financial and civil executives who hang on to NIST under the premise of ‘what else is there?’

 

To encapsulate: even if today’s NIST post quantum candidates do their job, the innovation momentum of quantum computers will overwhelm these candidates very soon.  We need to stop quantum at its heart — prevent these beasts from creating a spiked probability curve that points to the right cryptanalytic solution. We need to keep the probability curve unspiked.  That is what BitMint does.  We have dozens of granted (licenseable) patents in this direction.  You can read our peer reviewed chapter “Pattern Devoid Cryptography” recently published in London.