Join us on October 13th for a joint event between the University of Surrey’s Centre for Cyber Security and the SASIG group, the UK’s premier cyber security network.

With several major companies promising workable quantum computers by the end of the decade, coupled with techniques such as Shor’s Algorithm which promises to break certain encryption and digital signature schemes with the use of quantum computers, there is rapidly growing interest in understanding the future vulnerabilities of current asymmetric cryptographic techniques. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) started a process in 2015 to identify algorithms and schemes that would be secure against quantum-enabled attacks. With the 3rd and hopefully final post-quantum computing selection conference having taken place in June and a promise to select the final candidates by the end of 2021, we will be asking our expert panel to explain their latest thinking and to explore potential impact on existing computing systems, including problems like retrospective cracking of stored data, including security, medical and financial records. With our audience’s help we aim to explore wider aspects, such as digital divides between those countries that have quantum computers and those that do not and what that means for cyber security on a global stage. We also will look at whether further advances in mathematics are likely to reveal new vulnerabilities in the algorithms that currently keep our data secure.

Speakers include:

• Professor Liqun Chen – University of Surrey with Mr Roberto Sassu and Mr Silviu Vlasceanu, Huawei

• Dr Adrian Waller – Technical Consultant, Information Security at Thales Research and Technology (UK) Ltd

• Dr Ali El Kaafarani – CEO and Founder at PQShield

• Professor Tim Spiller – Hub Director, Quantum Information Technologies

The event will be a hybrid event, with a face-to-face event held at Surrey’s campus in Guildford alongside live stream access for remote participants. Starting at 4pm and running for 2 hours, there will be an interactive Q&A session and networking opportunities. The event is free to attend for friends of Surrey and SASIG members. Due to COVID restrictions, places are limited, so we recommend that you register early to ensure you reserve your place.

Details on how to get to the campus and the event location, as well as the event joining link and further information will be provided to registered attendees nearer the time.

About the Surrey Centre for Cyber Security (SCCS)

The University of Surrey has been recognised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) as one of a small number of universities to achieve the status of both an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research (ACE-CSR) and an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Education (ACE-CSE).

SCCS is a key element of the University’s digital activities, collaborating on AI research within the Computer Science Department and the Centre for Vision, Speech and Signal Processing (CVSSP), and also with the 5G Innovation Centre – the UK’s largest academic research centre dedicated to developing next generation mobile and wireless communications. More widely, SCCS consolidates research activities in cyber security across the University, bringing together expertise within the Department of Computer Science and actively collaborating with the University's departments of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Sociology, Psychology, Law, Politics and Business to create a rich set of perspectives on cyber security.

SCCS provides education via its GCHQ-certified Information Security MSc and supervised PhD research degrees. Situated on the Surrey University campus in Guildford, the group is within easy reach of organisations in London and the South East.

About SASIG

The Security Awareness Special Interest Group (SASIG) is a subscription-free networking forum; membership now represents organisations of all sizes from across the world and from all sectors, public and private. Its 5,000+ membership is drawn from CIOs, CSOs and CISOs and their staff with responsibility for cybersecurity within their organisations. Professionals from other disciplines (risk, HR, legal, supply, etc.) and representatives from government, law enforcement and academia are also being increasingly welcomed at our events.

SASIG was founded by Martin Smith MBE in 2004 to promote the softer issues of cybersecurity. It has evolved and grown over the years into a highly respected sales-free debating and learning environment for cybersecurity professionals from around the world. Many regard it as a CIO/CISO safe-zone; suppliers, consultancies, vendors and the Press are routinely excluded.