Chapter 192
Translator: Dreamscribe
[Fear Spreads Over Russia-Linked 'SS Algorithm', Existing RSA Encryption Effectively Neutralized]
[Global Smart Home Hacking Crisis, Leaked Private Videos Piling Up]
[Nuclear Plants at Risk Too. In-Depth Analysis, What Exactly Is the SS Algorithm?]
Breaking news captions scrolled across the bottom of the screen. The studio was quieter than usual. The anchor looked into the camera with a grave expression and bowed his head.
"Good evening, viewers. Today we face the single greatest threat since the dawn of digital civilization. The so-called SS Algorithm, believed to have originated in Russia, is laying waste to security systems around the world. We've invited an expert to walk us through the details. Joining us is Professor Kim Ji-yoon of KAIST."
The camera faded out, then slowly zoomed back in.
Neatly tied hair, a white blouse. Ji-yoon bowed her head with a composed expression.
"Good evening. I'm Kim Ji-yoon."
"Thank you for coming. Forgive me, but let's get straight to the point. Professor, what exactly is this SS Algorithm, that it's thrown the entire world into such chaos?"
Ji-yoon answered his question calmly.
"SS stands for Shor and Seoha. I don't know who the developer is, but they took the names of the two people whose work laid the theoretical foundation for this algorithm."
The anchor tilted his head.
"Seoha? That would be the Yu Seo-ha gun we all know, correct? It doesn't seem to be the hacker's name."
"That's right. The SS Algorithm is based on a theory published by Dr. Peter Shor in 1994. It's called Shor's Algorithm, and in theory it can break modern RSA encryption in a matter of minutes. But that was strictly a future threat, because it required a quantum computer."
The anchor nodded as if he followed.
"And that's where the other S comes in, I take it."
"Exactly. In the course of proving the Riemann Hypothesis, Yu Seo-ha gun found a way to pin down the distribution of primes far more narrowly. Combine those two things, and you get a monster capable of tearing down the existing cryptographic system on nothing more than an ordinary supercomputer."
"Ah! So that's why it's double S. I studied humanities, so my mind went straight to the Schutzstaffel (SS)."
Ji-yoon burst out laughing.
"That was probably intentional as well. The ruinous image of the Nazi SS suits this algorithm rather well."
"So there's a double meaning to it. Now let's move on to the important question. Professor, how do you assess the current situation? Some are saying the SS Algorithm will become a digital master key that can open every door. Is that actually true?"
Ji-yoon looked thoughtful for a moment.
"A master key... If we limit it to RSA-based encryption, that comparison may well be accurate. But please don't worry too much. Even so, it doesn't mean every digital system in the real world can be hacked instantly."
The anchor looked puzzled.
"Why is that?"
"Because banks and government agencies don't rely on RSA alone. The most critical facilities all use multilayered defense structures. Key management systems, hardware security modules, physical security, and above all, the most important keys aren't connected to any network."
The anchor's expression eased slightly.
"Then hacking them would be impossible altogether."
"That's right. So an attacker can't seize nuclear missiles or empty out a bank vault the way they do in the movies."
"Then is the collapse of our social systems that some outlets are talking about an exaggeration?"
"An immediate collapse is an exaggeration. However..."
When Ji-yoon's expression turned hesitant, the anchor pressed her.
"Please, go on."
"If this state of affairs continues over the long term, it will collapse. Almost all communication, payment, and authentication happening on the internet right now depends on RSA public key encryption. Even if they can't crack a bank's servers, they can intercept a user's authentication. And the result of that is exactly what's happening at American Bank in the United States right now."
Footage showed people lined up in long queues outside a bank before it had even opened.
"Ah, yes! There was a bank run there. So in short, what you're saying is that social trust could break down."
"You've put it precisely."
The air in the studio grew heavy. The anchor asked with an urgent look on his face.
"Then what's the solution? Surely there is one?"
Ji-yoon shook her head.
"Right now, it's difficult. If I had to say, we'd have to scrap all RSA and ECC-based encryption. In its place we'd need to switch to symmetric key systems or use physically isolated networks."
"Is that realistically possible?"
"That's precisely why I said it's difficult. Every piece of infrastructure in the world is already built on top of this structure. It's like being asked to rip out and replace the power grid without cutting the electricity."
The anchor's voice trembled.
"Then are you saying ruin is ultimately unavoidable?"
Ji-yoon denied it with a firm expression.
"No. Next month, NIST will establish the standard for the next generation of quantum-resistant encryption. Implementation after that depends on each country's capabilities. Of course, I'm saying this under the assumption that the next-generation encryption is successful."
The anchor looked puzzled.
"Is there a chance it won't be?"
"Because you never know where a hole might be. Encryption is rendered useless by a single crack. The problem is that we don't have enough time to test it properly."
"Ah... We invited an expert on, and I'm afraid it's only heightened my anxiety."
Ji-yoon looked at the camera and gave a light laugh.
"Then shall we talk about something hopeful this time?"
"There's something like that, even now?"
"CRYSTALS-Kyber, currently the leading candidate for next-generation PQC, is a fairly well-vetted cryptosystem. It's what's called lattice-based encryption. NIST has already been reviewing it for years, and from what I've heard from insiders, so far it's holding up well even against attacks from the SS Algorithm. The limitation is that it has yet to undergo testing on a global scale."
"I feel a little better now."
"One more thing! The other S of the SS Algorithm, Yu Seo-ha gun, is developing an encryption of his own. It's called Utopia, and it's all but certain to be entered in next month's standardization review. Which would mean it's already at the completion stage."
It seemed the anchor was hearing this for the first time, and his eyes went wide.
"Ah! Yu Seo-ha gun! He has such an extraordinary track record, so my expectations are high. Do you happen to know anything about it?"
"Hmm..."
Ji-yoon put a hand to her chin and sank into thought.
The anchor gave her a curious look.
"What is it?"
"To the eyes of a mathematician, Yu Seo-ha gun is a deeply mysterious being. From a very young age, he's been doing things the mathematical world had considered impossible."
Fear and awe crossed in her eyes.
The anchor said with a light laugh.
"He looks impressive enough even to the eyes of an ordinary person."
Ji-yoon shook her head.
"No. I can say without hesitation that you could multiply whatever you're imagining right now by a hundred and it still wouldn't be enough. In every field he's laid a hand on, he's produced results that were unimaginable in the past. Maybe that's why. I find myself getting my hopes up despite myself."
The anchor leaned forward and asked.
"What sort of hopes?"
Ji-yoon swallowed hard.
"Perfect Secrecy. Safety that can be mathematically proven. It's a concept defined in 1949 by Claude Shannon, the father of information theory. You could call it the dream and the ideal of every cryptographer. I've spent my whole life doing cryptography, and I've never seen so much as a fragment of it."
"That's a difficult subject. Could you explain a little further?"
"Real-world encryption isn't actually all that beautiful mathematically. The history of cryptography's advancement is also a history of compromise. But the Seo-ha I know, ah, Director Yu, isn't the sort to put up with that.
So, I know it sounds absurd, but I'm holding on to the hope that he might just create an encryption that is mathematically perfect and yet still usable in engineering terms."
"What do you mean by mathematically perfect?"
"It means a system that can never be hacked."
The anchor looked astonished.
"You've given us despair and hope at the same time. I truly hope things turn out as you expect, Professor. Thank you for joining us today."
"Thank you."
The studio lights went out. The staff began busily packing up the equipment.
Ji-yoon thanked the crew member who removed her microphone, then slowly rose from her seat.
Click, clack.
As she walked down the corridor, she took out her phone.
-Professor, it's Hyung-joo. It's classified so I can't go into detail, but Utopia is honestly an insane piece of work. Look forward to it.
"Our Park gun really does have all the luck."
The truth was, she had wanted to join the effort herself. She just never acted on it, worried it might make Seo-ha uncomfortable.
Ji-yoon smiled faintly.
* * *
"Are you all right?"
Ji-hye's expression was full of worry.
Seo-ha hadn't slept in days. The skeleton of the algorithm was finished, but in the process of incorporating the researchers' ideas, minute errors kept cropping up. In the world of cryptography, a 99.9% success is no different from 0%.
He desperately needed someone to stop him, but every member of the APEX team looked completely swamped by the crunch.
Seo-ha paused his hand for a moment and looked out the window.
The world was struggling to shake off the terror called the SS Algorithm. Day after day, the news spoke of the social chaos caused by hacking, and people were trembling, never knowing when their daily lives might collapse. And half of that terror originated from his own name, 'Seoha'.
"I think I had a vague sense that something like this would happen. But I handled it far too complacently. I'm just glad I have a chance to set it right, even now."
Seo-ha murmured quietly as he looked at Ji-hye.
The wave of primes he had found while proving the Riemann Hypothesis. To him it had been pure passion in pursuit of truth, but to someone else it had become a hammer to smash the world with. As the one who had provided the theoretical foundation for that technology, the debt Seo-ha felt was anything but light.
'I have to solve this, fast...'
Seo-ha's eyes lit up.
Countless thoughts shattered and recombined inside his head. Not one of the ideas the researchers had proposed was worth dismissing. The problem was how to dissolve them into the theory. Add one thing, and another slipped out of alignment. Correct that, and a gap opened up somewhere else.
'If only I had enough time.'
He felt rushed.
Maybe because he hadn't rested in days, his mind wasn't working properly. But Seo-ha still stood in front of the whiteboard, wrestling with the equations.
Before anyone noticed, the sun had set and night had fallen. The researchers watched Seo-ha with worried eyes. A young man whose face still had a boyish softness to it, moving from board to board, working out equations.
At first they had been amazed. Then they had felt awe. There had even been a certain pride in seeing the functions they proposed reflected in the design. But how many days had it been now?
Tap.
Ji-hye carefully set down a sandwich and some milk beside him.
"Director, why don't you eat something first..."
Seo-ha didn't answer.
As if he couldn't hear a thing, he raised his marker and wrote out a new equation on the board.
"Director!"
"If I twist the dimension one more time here... No, then there'd be a bottleneck in the computation speed. Split the phase again from the start, and then..."
She looked around.
Everyone wore the same expression she did, but no one dared step forward. She looked for Theo, but he was currently out meeting with NIST officials.
Ji-hye bit down hard on her lower lip, as if she'd made up her mind.
Bang!
She slammed her palm down on the desk. It was louder than she'd expected, loud enough to startle the researchers around her.
Seo-ha looked at her with questioning eyes.
"Hey! Yu Seo-ha!"
"Yes?"
Seo-ha's shoulders flinched at the force in her voice.
"Do you trust us that little?"
Seo-ha blinked.
The words seemed to have come out on impulse, because the flustered look on Ji-hye's face was plain to see. But once her mouth had opened, it wouldn't stop.
"If that's not it, then there's no way you'd be carrying all of this by yourself like this! Are we really such useless people to you?"
"No, I..."
The lab went quiet.
Ji-hye's eyes brimmed with tears. Embarrassed, her face had gone red starting from her neck. She thrust the tray she'd brought over at Seo-ha with as much bravado as she could muster.
"Here, take it!"
Seo-ha slowly set down the marker and picked up the sandwich.
Munch, munch.
When she handed him the milk, Seo-ha took it like an obedient little brother and gulped it down.
"Good boy."
A bright smile bloomed across Ji-hye's face.
"Now go home and get some sleep. Leave the rest to us. We're all pretty good at what we do too, you know?"
"Th... that's..."
Seo-ha looked troubled.
Then he sighed and glanced around. As it happened, there was a comfortable-looking sofa in the corner.
"I'll sleep here for a bit."
He must have been exhausted, because the moment Seo-ha lay down he was asleep, breathing steadily.
Hyung-joo brought a blanket and draped it over him.
Soft and steady.
Peaceful breathing filled the silent lab. Ji-hye gazed down at Seo-ha's sleeping face. Dazzled by his overwhelming genius, she had failed to see him as a person.
"He's only just old enough to have started university."
What had they been doing at that age? The researchers each sank into their own thoughts.
Barely twenty years old, and far too much weight on his shoulders. All they had done was stand behind him and expect him to work miracles.
"Oh no... I'd been leaning on him without even realizing it. I suppose I thought Director Yu could just do anything and everything."
This was a first for them too.
Someone so incomprehensibly brilliant had gone ahead and cleared the rough road for them, and before they knew it they'd grown used to following safely in his footsteps.
"Me too. There must have been things we could have helped with."
"Honestly, I was just overwhelmed. And I was scared before I even tried, I'll admit that."
Confessions poured out from every corner, almost like penance.
"We were far too useless."
Hyung-joo clenched his fist and let out a sigh.
Ji-hye wiped roughly at her eyes with her sleeve, then lifted her head with a resolute expression. Her gaze turned toward the equations Seo-ha had written out, filling the boards.
"Save the regret for later. Right now even that's a waste of time. Let's finish this before the Director wakes up."
He had already worked more than enough miracles. Wasn't expecting even more from him utterly shameless, as human beings?
Nod.
A flame slowly began to catch in the researchers' eyes.
Without anyone taking the lead, they all gathered in front of the boards. Afraid Seo-ha might wake, they smothered even the scrape of a chair, even the sound of a throat being cleared.
'Let's see this through, no matter what.'
Ji-hye thought to herself.
That she hoped they, the adults, could share the weight of the world their young Director had been carrying all alone.
*****
For 30 or more extra chapters, you can check out my Patreon here --> patreon.com/dreamscribe
If you enjoy this novel, please review and rate it at Novelupdates. Thanks! 😊
To receive the latest update notifications or report mistakes, join our Discord server linked below.