Latest news with #Shamir
Asia Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Asia Times
Is a quantum-cryptography apocalypse nigh?
Will quantum computers crack cryptographic codes and cause a global security disaster? You might certainly get that impression from a lot of news coverage, the latest of which reports new estimates that it might be 20 times easier to crack such codes than previously thought. Cryptography underpins the security of almost everything in cyberspace, from wifi to banking to digital currencies such as bitcoin. Whereas it was previously estimated that it would take a quantum computer with 20 million qubits (quantum bits) eight hours to crack the popular RSA algorithm (named after its inventors, Rivest–Shamir–Adleman), the new estimate reckons this could be done with 1 million qubits. By weakening cryptography, quantum computing would present a serious threat to our everyday cybersecurity. So is a quantum-cryptography apocalypse imminent? Quantum computers exist today but are highly limited in their capabilities. There is no single concept of a quantum computer, with several different design approaches being taken to their development. There are major technological barriers to be overcome before any of those approaches become useful, but a great deal of money is being spent, so we can expect significant technological improvements in the coming years. For the most commonly deployed cryptographic tools, quantum computing will have little impact. Symmetric cryptography, which encrypts the bulk of our data today (and does not include the RSA algorithm), can easily be strengthened to protect against quantum computers. Quantum computing might have a more significant impact on public-key cryptography, which is used to set up secure connections online. For example, this is used to support online shopping or secure messaging, traditionally using the RSA algorithm, though increasingly an alternative called elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman. Public key cryptography is also used to create digital signatures such as those used in bitcoin transactions, and uses yet another type of cryptography called the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm. If a sufficiently powerful and reliable quantum computer ever exists, processes that are currently only theoretical might become capable of breaking those public-key cryptographic tools. RSA algorithms are potentially more vulnerable because of the type of mathematics they use, though the alternatives could be vulnerable too. Such theoretical processes themselves will inevitably improve over time, as the paper about RSA algorithms is the latest to demonstrate. What remains extremely uncertain is both the destination and timelines of quantum computing development. We don't really know what quantum computers will ever be capable of doing in practice. Expert opinion is highly divided on when we can expect serious quantum computing to emerge. A minority seem to believe a breakthrough is imminent. But an equally significant minority think it will never happen. Most experts believe it is a future possibility, but prognoses range from between ten and 20 years to well beyond that. And will such quantum computers be cryptographically relevant? Essentially, nobody knows. Like most of the concerns about quantum computers in this area, the RSA paper is about an attack that may or may not work, and requires a machine that might never be built (the most powerful quantum computers currently have just over 1,000 qubits, and they're still very error-prone). From a cryptographic perspective, however, such quantum computing uncertainty is arguably immaterial. Security involves worst-case thinking and future-proofing. So it is wisest to assume that a cryptographically relevant quantum computer might one day exist. Even if one is 20 years away, this is relevant because some data that we encrypt today might still require protection 20 years from now. Experience also shows that in complex systems such as financial networks, upgrading cryptography can take a long time to complete. We therefore need to act now. The good news is that most of the hard thinking has already been done. In 2016, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) launched an international competition to design new post-quantum cryptographic tools that are believed to be secure against quantum computers. In 2024, NIST published an initial set of standards that included a post-quantum key exchange mechanism and several post-quantum digital signature schemes. To become secure against a future quantum computer, digital systems need to replace current public-key cryptography with new post-quantum mechanisms. They also need to ensure that existing symmetric cryptography is supported by sufficiently long symmetric keys (many existing systems already are). The US NIST published post-quantum cryptographic standards in 2024. Photo: – Yuri A / The Conversation Yet my core message is don't panic. Now is the time to evaluate the risks and decide on future courses of action. The UK's National Cyber Security Center has suggested one such timeline, primarily for large organizations and those supporting critical infrastructure such as industrial control systems. This envisages 2028 as a deadline for completing a cryptographic inventory and establishing a post-quantum migration plan, with upgrade processes to be completed by 2035. This decade-long timeline suggests that NCSC experts don't see a quantum cryptography apocalypse coming anytime soon. For the rest of us, we simply wait. In due course, if deemed necessary, the likes of our web browsers, wifi, mobile phones and messaging apps will gradually become post-quantum secure either through security upgrades (never forget to install them) or steady replacement of technology. We will undoubtedly read more stories about breakthroughs in quantum computing and upcoming cryptography apocalypses as big technology companies compete for the headlines. Cryptographically relevant quantum computing might well arrive one day, most likely far into the future. If and when it does, we'll surely be ready. Keith Martin is professor at the Information Security Group, Royal Holloway University of London This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Is a quantum-cryptography apocalypse imminent?
Will quantum computers crack cryptographic codes and cause a global security disaster? You might certainly get that impression from a lot of news coverage, the latest of which reports new estimates that it might be 20 times easier to crack such codes than previously thought. Cryptography underpins the security of almost everything in cyberspace, from wifi to banking to digital currencies such as bitcoin. Whereas it was previously estimated that it would take a quantum computer with 20 million qubits (quantum bits) eight hours to crack the popular RSA algorithm (named after its inventors, Rivest–Shamir–Adleman), the new estimate reckons this could be done with 1 million qubits. By weakening cryptography, quantum computing would present a serious threat to our everyday cybersecurity. So is a quantum-cryptography apocalypse imminent? Get your news from actual experts, straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily newsletter to receive all The Conversation UK's latest coverage of news and research, from politics and business to the arts and sciences. Quantum computers exist today but are highly limited in their capabilities. There is no single concept of a quantum computer, with several different design approaches being taken to their development. There are major technological barriers to be overcome before any of those approaches become useful, but a great deal of money is being spent, so we can expect significant technological improvements in the coming years. For the most commonly deployed cryptographic tools, quantum computing will have little impact. Symmetric cryptography, which encrypts the bulk of our data today (and does not include the RSA algorithm), can easily be strengthened to protect against quantum computers. Quantum computing might have more significant impact on public-key cryptography, which is used to set up secure connections online. For example this is used to support online shopping or secure messaging, traditionally using the RSA algorithm, though increasingly an alternative called elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman. Public key cryptography is also used to create digital signatures such as those used in bitcoin transactions, and uses yet another type of cryptography called the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm. If a sufficiently powerful and reliable quantum computer ever exists, processes that are currently only theoretical might become capable of breaking those public-key cryptographic tools. RSA algorithms are potentially more vulnerable because of the type of mathematics they use, though the alternatives could be vulnerable too. Such theoretical processes themselves will inevitably improve over time, as the paper about RSA algorithms is the latest to demonstrate. What remains extremely uncertain is both the destination and timelines of quantum computing development. We don't really know what quantum computers will ever be capable of doing in practice. Expert opinion is highly divided on when we can expect serious quantum computing to emerge. A minority seem to believe a breakthrough is imminent. But an equally significant minority think it will never happen. Most experts believe it a future possibility, but prognoses range from between ten and 20 years to well beyond that. And will such quantum computers be cryptographically relevant? Essentially, nobody knows. Like most of the concerns about quantum computers in this area, the RSA paper is about an attack that may or may not work, and requires a machine that might never be built (the most powerful quantum computers currently have just over 1,000 qubits, and they're still very error prone). From a cryptographic perspective, however, such quantum computing uncertainty is arguably immaterial. Security involves worst-case thinking and future proofing. So it is wisest to assume that a cryptographically relevant quantum computer might one day exist. Even if one is 20 years away, this is relevant because some data that we encrypt today might still require protection 20 years from now. Experience also shows that in complex systems such as financial networks, upgrading cryptography can take a long time to complete. We therefore need to act now. The good news is that most of the hard thinking has already been done. In 2016, the US National Institute for Standards and Technology (Nist) launched an international competition to design new post-quantum cryptographic tools that are believed to be secure against quantum computers. In 2024, Nist published an initial set of standards that included a post-quantum key exchange mechanism and several post-quantum digital signature schemes. To become secure against a future quantum computer, digital systems need to replace current public-key cryptography with new post-quantum mechanisms. They also need to ensure that existing symmetric cryptography is supported by sufficiently long symmetric keys (many existing systems already are). Yet my core message is don't panic. Now is the time to evaluate the risks and decide on future courses of action. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre has suggested one such timeline, primarily for large organisations and those supporting critical infrastructure such as industrial control systems. This envisages 2028 as a deadline for completing a cryptographic inventory and establishing a post-quantum migration plan, with upgrade processes to be completed by 2035. This decade-long timeline suggests that NCSC experts don't see a quantum cryptography apocalypse coming anytime soon. For the rest of us, we simply wait. In due course, if deemed necessary, the likes of our web browsers, wifi, mobile phones and messaging apps will gradually become post-quantum secure either through security upgrades (never forget to install them) or steady replacement of technology. We will undoubtedly read more stories about breakthroughs in quantum computing and upcoming cryptography apocalypses as big technology companies compete for the headlines. Cryptographically relevant quantum computing might well arrive one day, most likely far into the future. If and when it does, we'll surely be ready. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Keith Martin receives funding from EPSRC.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Shamir Ends His Musical Journey the Same Way He Started It — On His Own Terms
When Shamir first broke into music in 2015, the artist made a deal with himself: 'Once I feel like I've done and said everything that I felt like I wanted to do and say, then I will call it,' he recalls. 'I didn't want to be an artist who was doing this just because it's their job.' One decade and 10 studio albums later, Shamir is making good on that promise. Ten, the mercurial multi-hyphenate's excellent, indie rock-infused new album (out now via Kill Rock Stars) is his last one, too. Over the course of 10 songs, Shamir tackles big and small questions — the existential struggle with aging on album-closer '29' feels right at home with the simpler understanding of love lost on 'I Know We Can't Be Friends' — before closing out this chapter of his professional life. More from Billboard Here's How to Shop Hailey Bieber's Favorite Beauty Products on Amazon Snoop Dogg Dropped These Crocs-Style Sandals With Skechers - and They're Surprisingly Cool Get Ready for 'Hot Girl Summer' With Megan Thee Stallion's Affordable Swimwear Line at Walmart As he tells it, the decision to walk away from music was easy, at least in part because he had already experienced the closest thing he's had to a break between his projects. Since putting out Ratchet in 2015, Shamir has released new albums at almost a yearly pace, occasionally dropping two full LPs in a single calendar year. But after the release of his 2023 project Homo Anxietatem, the singer says he found himself in need of some time off. 'I was producing with a friend, and we were just, like, throwing the ideas around. And all of a sudden I realized I didn't have any plans to make an album. I didn't even really have, like, songs or anything,' he says. 'But I was like, 'I want to work with you just because we're friends.' That didn't end up working out with that person, but the idea of working with friends really stuck with me.' It was a different mode of operation for Shamir. Since getting dropped by XL Recordings over creative differences shortly after the release of Ratchet, he's largely self-written and self-released his own projects, occasionally teaming up with other indie labels to help bring his LPs to life. That changed when the artist found a new home at Kill Rock Stars. Since signing with the label in 2023, prior to the release of Homo Anxietatem, Shamir says he no longer felt burdened by the expectations of doing everything himself. 'To have that space and have that backing from the label gave me a little bit more clarity,' he explains. 'Ending this chapter of my career felt like it came from a place of peace instead of frustration, which I love.' Where other artists might use a final album to say all the things they've ever wanted to say in their music, Shamir didn't have to do the same — he'd already shared his deepest thoughts through albums like Heterosexuality and Hope. Instead, he decided to draw his conclusions about working with friends to their eventual conclusion. Every song on Ten, for the first time in Shamir's career, are entirely written and produced by others. Whether he was asking his closests friends to let him sing a song they wrote or combing through those same friends' unreleased demos to find songs he could perform, Shamir ended up with 10 tracks, written by and for others, now being interpreted through his own distinct artistic lens. 'I have so many incredible friends who aren't necessarily songwriters by trade, yet are just incredible songwriters,' he explains. 'I didn't want them to write 'a Shamir song,' you know what I mean? I wanted demos and vault tracks tracks, and to metabolize those and bring them into my world and make them my own.' A key example of the selection process, Shamir says, is the album's opening track 'I Love My Friends.' Back in 2021, Shamir received an email from his close friend Andrew Harmon, with the song's title as a subject line and nothing but an MP3 in the body. Enclosed was the song, written by Harmon exclusively as a dedicated thank you to his close-knit circle for helping him deal with the death of his father. 'I remember listening to it, and by the end I was just in tears,' Shamir says of the song. 'A dedication like that, unprompted and as a thank you — as opposed to just sending a thank you card or something like that — was just so beautiful to me.' Another standout from the album, the heartbreaking 'I Don't Know What You Want From Me,' was written by Torres, who Shamir 'wasn't even particularly close with.' But when he presented them with the idea backstage at a music festival, they immediately said they wanted to send him a track. '[Torres] was literally on tour, and still sent me three demos,' he says. 'That one was definitely the most shocking, just in terms of their enthusiasm for the idea.' It's for that reason that Ten plays out as a love letter rather than a farewell, where Shamir thanks the people who buoyed him in a turbulent career for a decade. It's also why Shamir decided to release the album on May 19 — the one year anniversary of his debut album Ratchet. 'It was just like an extra kind kismet thing that I was able to add on to the triple entendre of it all,' he says. 'It's so rare when that happens, so when it does happen, it just feels so much like confirmation.' As it turns out, having said everything he wanted to say in his career is just one of the reasons Shamir made the decision to call it quits after Ten. Part of the reason he relied so much on the support of his friends was simply because the music industry is a hard place to thrive, especially as a Black queer artist wanting to do something different. Shamir qualifies that with the simple fact that 'we made a lot of strides with queer people in pop music.' But after a certain point, the singer saw a pattern emerge, and it was one that he had no interest in adding to. 'As a Black queer person, it's not only hard to assimilate, but we are rewarded when we assimilate. We have to play the game to for survival,' he says. 'In a lot of ways, I have suffered because I refuse to assimilate — but it was worth it for me.' Sure, there are drawbacks that came with that: 'I was not able to reach a certain level of mainstream success,' Shamir relents. But broad recognition isn't the metric by which he chooses to measure himself. 'Whenever anyone looks back on my career in five, 10, 15, 20 years from now, they're going to be like, 'Oh, but he never compromised,'' he says. 'And I never will.' Best of Billboard Kelly Clarkson, Michael Buble, Pentatonix & Train Will Bring Their Holiday Hits to iHeart Christmas Concert Fox Plans NFT Debut With $20 'Masked Singer' Collectibles 14 Things That Changed (or Didn't) at Farm Aid 2021
India Today
13-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Six PFI members get double life term for killing Kerala trade union worker
The Thrissur District and Sessions Court in Kerala sentenced six men affiliated with the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) to double life imprisonment for the 2021 murder of a trade union worker. The court also imposed a cumulative fine of Rs 13 lakh on the of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) worker Shamir, also known as 'Nachu', was murdered in daylight in public on October 22, 2021, reportedly over political rivalry. Shamir, a member of the CPI(M)-linked CITU, was hacked to death in Mannuthy by the accused who arrived in an those convicted on Monday are three who directly carried out the murder: Vettukaparambil Shahjahan, Valiyakath Shabeer, and Parikkunnu Veettil Amal Saleeh. Three others – Valiyakath Shihas, Kattuparambil Navas and Pokkakkillath Veettil Sainudeen – were convicted for conspiracy. The prosecution presented 68 witnesses, over 200 documents and 22 pieces of material evidence against the accused. Phone call records starting October 15, 2021, and CCTV footage showing a meeting of the accused at Shihas' house helped establish the conspiracy. Cyber forensics, DNA reports, and other scientific evidence played a key role in securing the month, in a separate case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested Shamnad EK, also known as Shamnad Illikkal, the prime accused in the 2022 murder of RSS worker Sreenivasan in Palakkad. Shamnad, a PFI member from Manjeri in Malappuram, had been absconding for three years and carried a Rs 7 lakh bounty on his head. He was finally caught in Ernakulam after sustained efforts by the IN THIS STORY#Kerala
The Star
26-04-2025
- Business
- The Star
Jet fuel refinery to break ground
All smiles: Nik Nazmi (centre, in blue), with the chairman of BZI, Sheikh Khaled Zayed Saquer Zayed Alnahyan (third from right) witnessing the strategic cooperation agreement signing ceremony between BZI and FHE represented by Shamir (third from left) and Vinesh (second from right) in Kuala Lumpur. — Bernama Partnership with UAE poised to transform aviation sector, operational by 2029 KUALA LUMPUR: Airlines will have greater access to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) with the setting up of a state-of-the-art refinery in Port Klang, a US$500mil (RM2.19bil) collaboration between UAE-based Bin Zayed International Group (BZI) and Malaysia's FatHopes Energy (FHE). The two firms announced that the facility – among the first of its kind in South-East Asia – will be one of the world's most forward-looking SAF refineries. It is expected to transform the regional clean aviation landscape by producing SAF via the Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids pathway, which currently accounts for over 80% of global SAF production. According to BZI (Malaysia) Berhad managing director Datuk Seri Dr Shamir Kumar Nandy, the project is slated to break ground in 2026 and begin commercial operations by 2029. 'We are underwriting the entire sum for now by ourselves. Based on FatHopes' findings and updates, they're in the process of getting the necessary approvals and sanctions before they can break ground. 'So I believe that will be a year down the road – about 12 months from today,' he said at a press conference here yesterday. Also present at the announcement was Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad. Shamir said the partnership combines BZI's global investment expertise and FHE's leadership in sustainable biofuel feedstock aggregation, laying the groundwork for a highly diversified and scalable SAF platform in the region. He added that the Port Klang refinery is a key element in Malaysia's ambition to produce one million tonnes of SAF annually, solidifying the nation's role in the global SAF economy. 'This initiative has the potential to reimagine the future of flight,' said Shamir. 'It's about profit, people and the planet – but most importantly, it's for the planet,' he added. FHE chief executive officer Vinesh Sinha said the project, currently in the feasibility stage, will have a production capacity of 300,000 tonnes per annum, requiring roughly 330,000 tonnes of feedstock. He noted the technology in use can process various feedstocks, guided by prevailing policies and certifications. While BZI has fully committed to the financing, Vinesh highlighted that the primary challenges in the refinery's development are technical in nature. 'There's a lot of input materials we need – hydrogen and nitrogen, which are major components of the manufacturing process. 'We are in the midst of identifying sources for those. Then there's the port infrastructure, which is also a key factor. 'On our end, we are really focused on technical readiness and securing environmental impact assessment clearance for this particular plant,' Vinesh added. Earlier in his speech, Nik Nazmi called the project a 'game-changer' for Malaysia's energy and aviation sectors, noting its alignment with the country's climate goals under the Paris Agreement. 'Air travel is essential, but it must become sustainable. This refinery will help decarbonise the aviation sector while enhancing our energy security and supporting Malaysia's net-zero aspirations,' he said. Nik Nazmi also highlighted the project's socio-economic value, saying it will create jobs and benefit communities involved in the biofuel supply chain. 'This project shows that sustainability and economic opportunity can go hand in hand.'
