Spy master prays for the return of Alan Turing

It was almost unheard of to accuse US technology companies of becoming "the command and control networks of choice" for terrorists. Yet today, headlines announce that Robert Hannigan, new director of GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters, UK), has been doing just that. The "GCHQ chief accuses US tech giants of becoming terrorists' 'networks of choice" on his first week of taking office—almost 18 months on since Edward Snowden blew the whistle on the National Security Agency (NSA) on May 20, 2013; the U.S. intelligence agency responsible for global monitoring, collection, decoding, translation and analysis of information and data for foreign intelligence.

According to the leaked documents unearthed by Snowden, the NSA intercepts the communications of over a billion people worldwide and tracks the movement of hundreds of millions of people using location data emitted by cellphones and emails. It has also created or maintained security vulnerabilities in most software and encryptions, leaving the majority of the Internet susceptible to cyber attacks from the NSA and other parties. Domestically, it contributes to mass surveillance in the United States by collecting and storing all phone records of all American citizens. Internationally, in addition to the various data sharing concerns that persist, research has pointed to the NSA's ability to surveil the domestic internet traffic of foreign countries through "boomerang routing".

Internet service providers and telcos have since begun deploying some cryptography techniques to stop spy agencies for poking their nose into our business. These technologies are so secure that even the boss of GCHQ is now praying for the return of Alan Turing to assist in breaking their codes.

Boris S Verkhovsky of New Jersey Institute of Technology, USA, might just have Hannigan's answer.

Prof. Verkhovsky looks into the subject of securing information sent through Internet by examining

• Methods in cryptography (secret communication between initiated parties);
• Cryptanalysis (how to break the encryption algorithms based on computational complexity of integer factorization and discrete logarithm problems);
• How to provide a reliable transmission of information via unreliable communication channels and;
• How to exploit a synergetic effect that stems from combining the cryptographic and information assurance protocols

In his book "Integer Algorithms in Cryptology and Information Assurance", published recently by World Scientific. Verkhovsky outlines various ways (algorithms and protocols) for secret and reliable communication, presented the "what" and "how" behind implementing the proposed cryptographic methodology (algorithms).

Prof. Boris Verkhovsky is a recipient of the USSR Ministry of Radio-Electronics Award; the Academy of Sciences of the USSR Award; the Alvin Johnson Award; and the Millennium Award and the Medal of Excellence. In this book, Prof Verkhovsky, addresses the issues of modern cryptography and cryptanalysis, which have been graining in popularity from national, industrial to personal security as more and more sensitive information is transmitted over open channels.

"Integer Algorithms in Cryptology and Information Assurance", consisting of five parts (in 28 chapters), is a collection of the author's own innovative approaches in algorithms and protocols for secret and reliable communication. It contains innovative cryptographic algorithms; computationally efficient algorithms for information assurance; and new methods to solve the classical problem of integer factorization, which plays a key role in cryptanalysis. The book provides numerous illustrative examples and tables that facilitate the understanding of the proposed algorithms.

The fundamental ideas contained in Verkhovsk's work are not based on temporary advances in technology, which might become obsolete in several years. The problems addressed in the book have their own intrinsic computational complexities, and the ideas and methods described will remain important for years to come. The hardcover of the book retails for US$142 / £94. More information on the book can be found at: http://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/9325

Provided by World Scientific Publishing