This is in reference Paul Wagenseil's article on technewsdaily.com:
"'Cryptopocalypse' Now: Looming Security Crisis Could Cripple Internet"'
This article is about how the current encryption system that is used for the internet is on the verge of being cracked and how the internet has not upgraded yet to ensure protection. Not upgrading means nothing on the internet will be secure thus rendering the internet useless (compared to how we use I now) because the internet thrives on trust.
I found this article interesting because it revealed a new angle (for me at least) on how the internet could break. We have been reading and talking in class about how determinists and centrists seem to view the internet as this entity that will keep on no matter what so I always found myself thinking of how they might be wrong – mainly all I could think of was some sort of physical apocalypse like an asteroid or gamma ray burst knocking everything offline. I hadn’t considered something as simple as trust being the downfall of the internet.
Security and the subsequent trust we have for websites and doing business online is something I think we take for granted. Yes, we know that we need virus protection and to look out for malware but how often do we think of the entire encryption system? HTTPS – oh look, I’m secure now, I can go about my business. We don’t often think about what goes into the ‘S’ part of that and how it’s not going to be a given forever. I, for one, did not know that there were two types of encryption developed in the 70’s still being used. I always assumed that encryption and security were something that was constantly evolving and being updated by security/encryption nerds who were always making sure to stay one step ahead of the bad guys.
So what happens if the “crpytopocalypse” happens? Do we really stop using the internet? Do we stop using it until the encryption is upgraded? And even then, how long would it take to regain our trust? Would we have no choice but to trust it? Do we go back to older ways of doing business? Is the internet too big to fail?