When will the internet be unsafe?

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Many of you are enjoying your internet. But the internet might not be safe anymore.

The internet is based on something called encryption, almost everything on the internet has an encryption component. This is an image explaining it:



If you don't understand how it works here is a tutorial that is optional to read, but I suggest you do:

----- BEGIN TUTORIAL-----

I've only worked with Linux and Windows but I'm sure there is a PGP client for Mac.

Step 1:

Go to http://www.gpg4usb.org and download the zip file.

Step 2:

Once the download is complete open the file location.

Step 3: Extract the zip file to a folder of your choice, it could be on a USB or somewhere in your hard drive.

Step 4: Click either Start Windows or right click under Start Linux 32/64-bit and click Run.

Step 5: Now we are going to generate a PGP public key. I've included pictures to help you guys out.

Your screen should look something like this,

Click Keys>Manage Keys>Keys>Generate Key. For E-Mail it doesn't have to be valid, something like user@WrongPlanet will work. Choose a name and make sure it doesn't expire. Also change it from 2048 bit to 4096 bit encryption. Then choose a good password. Generate it, it may take a while but don't kill the process.

Once your PGP key has generated you should have something similar to this:


So paste your key into the clipboard as shown by these pictures.



And,



Before I teach you how to import PGP keys I'll tell you what PGP key is used for, I'll put it in bold.

Bob is buying an item from Alice. They were communicated using a third-party email system that combs through all the E-mails. Bob wants to send his information to Alice, but doesn't want his security compromised. Solution=PGP. Bob imports Alice's PGP key and sends her his information but encrypts it and only she has the password.
So basically PGP is a P2P message system used by people who don't want their information compromised. Also, the NSA or any other security agency cannot break it. Encryption is also used by Amazon, ATMs, G-mail, Yahoo even WrongPlanet(possibly). opy

To import my PGP key just copy and paste it into the clipboard Import>Clipboard if you wanna send me an encrypted PM, feel free.

-----END TUTORIAL------

Anyway, there is a way that all PGP encryption can be broken. Encryption is based on the factorization of prime numbers and if the Riemann Hypothesis is solved all encryption will be breakable and nothing on the internet is safe, everything is open to hackers.

The Riemann Hypothesis is a very complex mathematical problem that has lot's of benefits but one of the consequences is the loss of the internet.

If you can't see the images zoom in or something.

If you want to think about it in a more exciting way, this is a tutorial on how to write codes.

Actually the internet wasn't built with encryption and security in mind back in the 1950s, when the U.S. Military started it.
They believed people would use it properly...

Encryption and security wasn't brought into being until the mid 1990s, after people started hacking the net and producing downloadable viruses and malware.

So today's problem is one that dates back to the creation of the internet, which there is no way to insert security and encryption into the core of the internet.

It's literally up to each site and piece of software to handle encryption and security as they see fit.
It is also up to the end users to be vigilant and keep up their security on their OSes.

What the hell, why did someone go and come up with a math problem that would cause 'loss of the internet' I mean gee probably only a matter of time before someone solves it.....though I am confused on how getting the answer to a math problem would end the internet, how will the internet know if someone solves it?

The internet is not based on encryption. It is based on a communications protocol that provides for packet switching across the network.

Encryption is a problem, trust is a problem, but neither of those problems is the internet.

I know the internet is based on encryption, but encryption is such a big part of the internet.

I bet the backup servers for WrongPlanet are encrypted, I bet the databases that store user data are encrypted. The Riemann Hypothesis being true means that the proof can be made into an algorithm which can break even the strongest (4096-bits of entropy) encryption.

Encryption plays a major role in Amazon and Ebay. Your address is encryption and then decrypted at the exit point so that the buyer can send you your item. If you can decrypt it personal information could get leaked putting you in great danger.

ATMs won't be safe, bank accounts the world will be a disaster.

RH could be false though.

The internet won't know, that's ridiculous.

This math problem was made in 1859 by Bernhard Riemann. It's not an answer, some one has to prove a theorem for infinitely many cases meaning that you can't just check every one. People have checked billions of cases and it's true but there are still infinitely many more to go.

I'll explain what encryption is based on, it is based on the factorization of large prime numbers. You see prime factorization cannot be solved "fast" by a computer, it takes many years when numbers are very large and that's what encryption is based on. The Riemann Hypothesis will find a efficient algorithm to factorize large numbers.

If you are not following, perhaps a certain theorem will help. All non-prime positive integers can be expressed as the product of primes. 20=4x5=2x2x5 2 and 5 are both prime. 30=5x6=5x3x2 5,3,2 are all prime. It takes a computer a long time to find the prime factors of a large positive integer. So encryption is based on the prime factorization of large numbers which will take a computer many years to crack. There is actually another problem based on this called P vs NP. P means polynomial time, NP means non-polynomial time. Multiplication and basic operations such as logarithms, multiplication, exponents take a computer relatively fast to solve therefore P . While factorization is NP because it takes a long time to solve. The P vs NP conjecture asks if all NP problems can be solved fast. The RH being true implies factorization has a P class algorithm

The Riemann Hypothesis is a theorem, someone asked the question, it's not necessarily true.

I found the title of this thread to be...strange.

"When will the internet be unsafe?"

You mean it IS safe today?

Good point. I was going to use the title "When will the internet be unusable?" but it won't be unusable but rather pointless.

If you've got nothing to hide, you've got nothing to encrypt.

thus your personal information and identity was stolen by hackers.

Useless information.

There is a bit of irony that for someone who is saying that the internet is based on encryption ( which it isnt) that they should download encryption software from an unknown entity, and run the compiled bin files on what is most likely a binary linux distro in the name of 'security'

??

Yes, I guess there is.

Encryption is an integral part of the internet, is it not. It isn't based on it, but encryption is essential for a well functioning internet.

I promise gpg4usb is secure, there are no viruses on it.

Not true.

Your computer can be hacked easily if unencrypted. In Windows and Mac the passwords are stored in a file, boot a Linux Live CD and copy the file to a storage device and you got your passwords.

Also a hacking OS called ophcrack is so simple you just boot it up and you can crack passwords, extremely simple. So imagine if someone was running a Windows server...

Full disk encryption also helps prevent ransomware attacks such as CryptoLocker (a virus that encrypted all of your files and gave you the password when you paid them $500), there is no such thing as to much security.

I remember seeing something similar on Reddit today (I just joined to talk about autism, computers and mathematics however it focuses more on "fun" discussions rather than problems unlike Math SE) there was a thread asking if you aren't a child porn viewer why would you need to use full disk encryption? It makes your computer more secure, unable to be hacked by even security agencies. It's like people saying "if you use a VPN you must be a criminal" that pisses me off. What if you are in a public Wi-Fi network no encryption key or password, anyone could see what you are on, if you use a VPN, that's not the case.

People that say things like that really annoy.

Also, some people's comments regarding the NSA are "if you don't have anything to hide, why should you be worried?". Well, how would you like it if the NSA took samples of your urine and see what liquids you drink to see if they are the same as the liquids terrorists drink, most people would consider that a violation of privacy. The spying kerfuffle with the NSA and the GCHQ is basically the same.