Breaking Encryption

Cory Doctorow begins his latest LOCUS column with a discussion of technorealism and "nontechnical technothrillers":

Rubber-Hose Cryptanalysis

He deplores the "bad art" of the "laziness of treating computers as plot objects with no fidelity to the real world." Nowadays, he says, most SF readers will instantly recognize an unrealistic cryptography-hacking scene in a book or movie. Well, speak for yourself -- I wouldn't, but, then, hard SF isn't one of my favorite subgenres, and I know little more about computers than how to use them as magically enhanced typewriters. However, I'll take his word for the reactions of the tech-savvy audience.

In any case, fidelity to actual possibilities in the parts of a story intended to be realistic always produces better fiction. Even if readers have little to no familiarity with the science or technology essential to the plot, the action won't quite ring true if it's not accurate. Readers will usually sense when the author doesn't really know what he's doing but is "handwaving" details.

As Doctorow explains the current state of the art, modern ciphers are so impregnable to brute force that they couldn't be decrypted that way even within the lifespan of the universe. He cautions, however, that "just because well-implemented encryption can’t be attacked mathematically, it does not follow that your secrets are safe." Even if the cipher itself can't be "broken," the human user can. The criminals or the cops can torture the victim into revealing the vital password. The only thing stopping them is "the rule of law." And, ultimately, the only guarantee of the rule of law is the commitment of governments to respect it. Therefore, "authoritarianism represents an existential threat" in this area as in many others -- especially since our lives now depend on computers in so many ways.

Devising believable methods for villains to "break" encryption by tricking or forcing the information out of the protagonist unfolds endless potential for plot development through exploring characterization and the human element. In Doctorow's words, "Science fiction writers have only barely begun to plumb the many ways in which the flexibility and nondeterminacy of computers, combined with the fallibility of the people who use them, can be used to create high-stakes, high-suspense plotlines."

Margaret L. Carter

Please explore love among the monsters at Carter's Crypt.