Dear Readers,
Recent reading has led us to recall earlier times when computers were few and the Internet was nascent. In those times, there was excitement over the potential of this wondrous technology that had limitless possibilities. Today we are seeing the beginnings quantum computing, and it might hold new wonders. Yet there are rumblings that such new forms of computing could be misused, and researchers are urged to consider how new machines might be regulated and controlled. We used to lament that "security" should have been taken more seriously when computing was new. Today, a gloomy view of the very nature of novel computing threatens to swamp scientific thinking. Quantum computing: Threat or Menace?
Somehow this pessimism is lost when it comes to personal electronics and the Internet of Things. As some of our news articles in this Cipher issue illustrate, mobile devices can be used against their owners, and building secure hardware, operating systems, and apps is an elusive art. Yet we see no computer apocalypse on the classical computing horizon. Somehow, visionaries of the future of computing need a framework that can naturally balance risks against benefits.
That being said, it is the summer conference season, and techie folk are traveling to meetings. COVID-19 seems to be a regular attendee, though, so be careful of crowded gatherings while enjoying the return of the social side of conferences.
A virus in biology, evades our immunology.
A virus cyberlogical, is highly diabolical.
Vaccines and firewalls may not suffice,
I fear I might well perish twice,
Once in body,
Once in device.