My Articles, Opinions and Analyses
Understanding “Polynomial Time” – Why Faster Algorithms Matter
Quantum computing has emerged as a new frontier of great-power competition in the 21st century. Nations around the world view advanced quantum technologies as strategic assets—keys to future economic prowess, military strength, and technological sovereignty. Governments have already poured over $40 billion into quantum research and development globally, launching national initiatives and international collaborations to ...
Financial Crime, Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing
In what ways has financial crime hurt you? Most people would respond with a yawn. We might think it is limited to a few fraudulent schemes that deprive a small number of people of a few hundred or a few thousand dollars. While we might sympathize with victims of such schemes, we often fail to ...
Enterprise Resilience – A Model to Thrive in a World of Change
Modern theories of the firm remain focused on transaction costs, operational efficiency, employee motivation, leadership, strategy and other related factors. While any of these may support our success at various times, none of them alone will facilitate it in the long run. Even strategy, while vitally important, is set at a point in time and ...
When Hackers Threaten your Life – Cyber-Kinetic Risks
The attacker stepped out from behind a hedge in the upper-class suburban neighborhood, being careful to stay in the shadows. Across the street, the last lights shining through the windows of the house had just flickered out. She tugged the bottom of her black hoodie into place and pulled the hood up over her head, ...
Key Principles and Theorems in Quantum Computing and Networks
The landscape of quantum computing and quantum networks is an exciting frontier where physics and cybersecurity intersect. We’re witnessing the early days of this quantum revolution. As quantum hardware scales and quantum protocols move from labs to real-world deployment, security experts will need to collaborate with physicists like never before. By mastering concepts like Heisenberg’s ...
Qubits: A Brief Introduction for Cybersecurity Professionals
A qubit is the quantum analog of a classical bit – it’s the basic unit of quantum information. However, unlike a classical bit that can only be 0 or 1 at any given time, a qubit can exist in a combination of both 0 and 1 states simultaneously. This property is called superposition ...
Bell States: An Introduction for Cybersecurity Professionals
Bell states are a set of four specific quantum states of two qubits (quantum bits) that are entangled. In simple terms, an entangled pair of qubits behaves as one system, no matter how far apart they are. Bell states are the simplest and most extreme examples of this phenomenon. They are fundamental to quantum mechanics ...
Human Zombification as an Information Security Threat
China and Russia share an information security doctrine, one that is significantly different from Euro-Atlantic doctrines. In the Chino-Russian model of information space a discussion about population zombification does happen and it fits squarely within the domain of information security. No, this is not an Onion article. China and Russia have significantly broader definitions of ...
Non-Executive Directors as Cyber Champions
As a non-executive director (NED) who often represents cybersecurity and emerging technology interests on boards, I’ve learned that even without being a deep technical expert, I must challenge management and ensure our company’s security posture is sound. In today’s high-risk digital environment, boards can no longer treat cybersecurity as "someone else’s problem." Directors cannot abdicate ...
Can we Rescue Diversity from its own Failings?
Don’t expect this to be either of the typical articles about diversity. I’m here not to fawn over its benefits nor to rant about who does or doesn’t get hired. I’m here, instead, to ask why we react to it in the baffling way we do, why it often accomplishes the exact opposite of its ...
Innovative Businesses Have Curious Employees
Several comments in response to my recent competency-focused post led me to also consider the importance of curiosity in the workplace. Interestingly enough, recent experiences have given me a chance to see firsthand the benefits of nurturing curiosity and how to do so as part of the DNA of the work environment. Curiosity is a vital element ...
The World of Cyber-Physical Systems & Rising Cyber-Kinetic Risks
We live in a world in which the way we observe and control it is radically changing. Increasingly, we interact with physical objects through the filter of what computational systems embedded in them tell us, and we adjust them based on what those systems relate. We do this on our phones, in our cars, in ...
Kuperberg’s Algorithm and its Impact on Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)
Kuperberg’s algorithm is an impressive quantum algorithmic achievement that expands the boundary of what quantum computers might do beyond the original realm of Shor’s algorithm. It demonstrates that even some non-trivial group problems (like the dihedral hidden subgroup problem) are easier for quantum computers than for classical ones, albeit not easy in an absolute sense ...
Balancing Quantum Computing Hype and Hope
Quantum computing stands at the intersection of immense promise and intense hype. As someone who had led cybersecurity teams (including serving as an interim CISO for Fortune 500 companies) and was now investing in a quantum computing startup, I found myself navigating two contrasting narratives. On one hand, I am bullish on the future of ...
MAS TRM Just Reset the Floor for Financial‑Sector Cybersecurity
I’ve spent the last few years in Singapore helping banks, insurers, and market infrastructure across APAC harden their environments. We’ve all said the same thing in private: we need a clear, enforceable baseline that trades vague “best practice” for concrete expectations and timelines. With the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) Technology Risk Management (TRM) package ...
Why I Chose Photonic Quantum Computing
Choosing photonic quantum computing for my startup is equal parts ambition and pragmatism. The ambition is that photons, with their long coherence and networking talent, could unlock scalable quantum computers without the cryogenic baggage of other approaches. The pragmatism was that by immersing myself in this cutting-edge field, I could better prepare for the quantum ...
Quantum Computing Hype and Fear: Same Song, New Verse
Another year, another wave of "quantum computers are about to crack all our encryption" fear-mongering. It’s 2012, and I’m getting déjà vu reading headlines proclaiming the imminent doom of RSA and other cryptography. I've been writing about this for at least 10 years. Ever since Peter Shor unveiled an algorithm for factoring large numbers on ...
Cyber War – scaremongering or reality?
“Cyber war” is a term that is in recent days used so liberally that people may often wonder if these words are as menacing as they sound or used only as a tool to incite fear as a way to control a society that increasingly depends on technology. How we prepare and respond to cyber ...
United We Secure: Why Cybersecurity Needs Information Sharing
The cyber battlefield is heating up. On one side, cyber criminals are pooling their knowledge like a well-oiled team; on the other, many organizations still act like lone wolves. I recall a fellow CISO remarking at a meeting, “I don’t need perfect security - just better security than the other guys. Then attackers will leave ...
Quantum Computers Intro
I remember the first time I heard the phrase “quantum computer” about a ten years ago. I pictured something out of a sci-fi movie - maybe a glowing box humming with mystical power. As a techie who spends a lot of time worrying about encryption and security, my skeptical eyebrow immediately went up. Quantum anything ...
Quantum Computing Hardware Update
In summary, as 2006 ends I remain confident yet realistic. We’ve seen genuine, hard-won progress in quantum hardware: superconducting circuits entangling, ions scaling up with superb control, photons performing logic, and even completely different technologies proving their quantum chops. We’ve also seen that each platform has serious challenges to overcome - none is a silver ...
Reflections on AI Progress
Looking back over the years, I’m struck by how far AI has come and yet how far it still has to go. In late 2005, AI is best described as a powerful set of tools - pattern recognition, optimization, inference engines - that can outperform humans in specific tasks and scale to volumes no human ...
Are Quantum Computers a Real Threat?
Our conclusion is that quantum computers are not an imminent threat to cybersecurity. They are a fascinating technology and potential threat in the long term, but certainly not something that keeps me awake at night today. For our clients such as governments and critical infrastructure operators, the prudent advice is to stay informed and begin ...
Do you Have What it Takes to be an Interim Manager?
Businesses, facing an ever-increasing variety of complex problems, are in desperate need of good interim managers to help solve them. Such positions are highly rewarding, with the opportunity to explore new places, meet new people – and fill your plate with a steady diet of fascinating challenges. Perhaps you’ve considered entering this growing field and ...