The cryptographic technology that has kept our most sensitive information secret has proven to be essential to the security and stability of our society.
But ballooning data volumes and advancements in mathematics have begun to overwhelm some our most widely adopted ciphers that have been in use for decades.
The threat landscape is shifting — and with it, our approach to cryptography.
Advancements in Mathematics and the Threat to Data Security
As computational power continues to evolve, so, too, does higher-math theory, getting more powerful and complex all the time. Research initiatives continue with the aim of developing new cryptography standards to meet the quantum threat, but it would be perilous to assume that quantum computing is the only imminent threat to traditional encryption.
New mathematical approaches to large-integer factoring that do not rely on the power of quantum computing are on their way to being perfected. These mathematical approaches will be capable of running on today’s standard, easily-leveraged computers.
The threat to data security posed by advancements in mathematics is one that is perhaps even more concerning and imminent than that of quantum computing, yet it receives inadequate mainstream recognition.
Extraordinary strides have taken place in higher mathematics since the turn of the century, enabling beneficial technological advances to be sure across a variety of sectors, from pharmaceuticals to defense to climate change. But these advancements in maths are not restricted in use to virtuous players — cyber adversaries are just as capable of leveraging higher maths to break the traditional encryption we depend on.
Advances in mathematics in previous years have already revealed the vulnerabilities inherent in status-quo encryption methods. Standard cryptography assumes that factoring integers composed of more than one thousand numerals is for practical purposes, impossible. Shor’s algorithm, discovered by American mathematician Peter Shor in 1994 suggests this isn’t so —it performs exponentially faster large-integer factoring, implying that current public-key cryptography like RSA could be easily broken on an ideal quantum computer.
But even without a quantum computer, threats to conventional algorithmic decryption are real, and rising; one cryptographic key sold as recently as 2020 proved to be vulnerable after it was cracked “instantly” by a German researcher using a factorization technique from the 1600s.
The adequate level of “computational security” current encryption provides is no longer acceptable. Stabilizing the future of our data security requires a paradigm shift in our approach to cryptography. It requires an encryption solution that:
- Overcomes the flaws of keys generated with suboptimal entropy
- Is effective across the gigantic, diverse, fast-expanding digital dataverse
- Resists inevitable challenges from quantum computers and the more pressing ones now from advancements in mathematics
- Can be deployed economically and efficiently at scale
Advancements in mathematics will only continue to evolve with increasing implications for our data security. The best course of action to mitigate this threat would be to migrate to an encryption protocol capable of defying attacks from higher maths in malicious hands.
A Next-Generation Solution to Higher Mathematics and Other Data Security Threats
Advancements in mathematics need not destabilize our societal infrastructure, nor any individual business that operates within it. Theon Technology has been working for more than a decade to generate a next-generation solution.
Theon’s patented methodologies help protect against advancements in mathematics and impending quantum compute threats with a focus on data sovereignty, data security, and data compression, providing a software approach supporting multiple deployment models. Our products TheonRNG™ — Theon’s Random Number Generator — and TheonEncrypt™ — put us on the road to delivering, for the first time, a commercially viable One Time Pad (OTP) at enterprise scale.
The Theon privacy suite provides secure services and technology for the most discerning and demanding privacy customers: from enterprises looking to enhance security for critical data assets, to consulting and VARs (Value-Added Resellers) protecting years of sensitive client data, OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) looking to secure edge and data from sensors, and intelligence agencies using OTP that need a scalable solution.
Existing cryptography methodologies are vulnerable and failing. Theon Technology generates truly unique cryptographic keys, at scale, providing a software-based cryptography solution that doesn’t demand massive computing power, and a system that is easy-to-integrate at both the client side and server levels. It’s a whole new level of encryption.
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Protect your organization’s data with the next-generation data security solution — Contact a Theon expert today to take your first step on the road to perfect secrecy. We also have free eBooks available for download, including our latest, The Big Clock, which highlights reasons behind the urgent need for an update on old-order cryptography.