Strong cryptography

Convoluted secret writing

It appears so from the ancient Greek, looking it up in the dictionary.

στραγγή κρυπτή γραφή

If that is what it is, and not a mistaken interpretation. Say something is convoluted or "twisted" as with great strength, by a man who could squeeze a drop of water out of a dry rag. The Gordian Knot comes to mind, also ancient Greek.

Virile locker-room graphics

This is another Greek interpretation of the term “strong cryptography,” and probably equally valid, with the strong suggestion of something morally “twisted” to boot. One would have to think on the level of bubble-gum-chewing high school girls of an average or lower intelligence and gossiping ladies at the local bingo parlor who don’t think anything of “cryptography” but as a made-up, magic or psychic abstract word that happens to rhyme with “pornography.”

Regardless, there’s a Samson lifting weights at the gym, and he needs something like a heavy-duty padlock with a hardened boron nitride steel shackle to lock up his clothes, wallet, pistol, money, checkbook, etc. to keep all the Delilahs and the Philistines out. And the ancient Greeks would laugh you to scorn if you thought there was any such thing as a “men’s room” at any public place without ladies sneaking in to ply their trade on the said “men.”

So what is strong cryptography? And why do we need it?

There’s public key cryptography, and the public doesn’t believe it exists. The desire of spies, whores and thieves to break it is too strong to be frustrated, and yet that is the very reason we need strong cryptography. We thought it existed and we depended on it. What happens if we find out it doesn't exist? Quantum crypto is the next thing coming down the pike, but the academics keep hiding their papers on the topic.

We refer our readers to Schneier on Security for a very good if somewhat dated introduction to the topic. That author has in the meantime moved on to cover more topics of general computer networking security interest, on a premise that open source “strong cryptography” as such already exists and is well implemented.

High encryption

One might also speak of “highly encrypted” diplomatic cables or “highly classified” government documents as if these are held out of reach of our view or hearing. The same thing, in other words.