• "Given their power to intercept and disrupt secret communications, it is not surprising that quantum computers have the attention of various U.S. government agencies.  The National Security Agency, which supports research in quantum computing, candidly declares that given its interest in keeping U.S. government communications secure, it is loath to see quantum computers built. On the other hand, if they can be built, then it wants to have the first one.”

    Prof Seth Lloyd of MIT, MIT Review 2008

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  • "The future ability of quantum computers might be a decade or two away, their future ability to break public-key cryptography has important implications for the encryption of highly sensitive information today. For these applications, we must already design new public-key cryptosystems and one-way functions that are immune to quantum cryptanalysis."

    ARDA, Report of the Quantum Information Science and Technology Experts Panel, 2004

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  • “The current way which organisations approach security can be recognised as an underlying market failure which consists of fire fighting security problems, silo'd implementation of technologies, uncontrolled application development practices and a failure to address systemic problems. Organisations tend to deal with one problem at a time that results in the deployment of point solutions to treat singular problems. This failure is typical of an uncontrolled marketplace evolving with little or no co-ordination.”

    The British Government’s Technology Strategy Board, 2008
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Home Resources Expert Opinions Information assurance quote: British Govt Technology Strategy Board, Hidden interdependencies in our systems
quote: British Govt Technology Strategy Board, Hidden interdependencies in our systems

Business now relies on information infrastructures that are interlinked and interdependent. We need to understand how to predict and mitigate these risks with a view to aid reaction and recovery within these infrastructures.
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Complex systems exist in all aspects of society ranging from stock market analysis to climate change, and information systems and infrastructures are no exception. As an information system matures it typically converges with others to add a richer functionality. This reliance upon extrinsic factors to deliver a service adds extra layers of complexity and interdependency, which are not fully understood and are to some degree uncontrollable.

The way in which these hidden interdependencies pervade our everyday lives is staggering and, in some cases, may go unchecked for many years until an incident occurs that revels the true nature of the interdependences' impact.

The British Government’s Technology Strategy Board, 2008
 

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