Why a cryptographer can be your org’s secret weapon
October 12, 2023
Jeremy Bradley, COO at Zama, explains the diverse skills required to become a cryptographer and the value these professionals add to any digital organisation.
There is a paradox when it comes to cryptography. Most people have come to know cryptographers through representations of real-life events and fiction: you went to the movies to see Alan Turing defeating the Enigma machine, read about Sherlock Holmes cracking codes to solve cases and cheered for hackers using their skills for a good cause.
These portrayals present cryptography as a cool game of cat and mouse, solving enigmas and deciphering secret communications. Though this is all true and accurate, these depictions don’t explore the full extent of what cryptography is nor how important it has become in our digital lives.
Cryptographers are indeed experts in unveiling secret codes and solving enigmas, but more than anything they are professionals trained to identify and forecast potential threats and devise tailored preventive solutions.
They must have specific skills and characteristics, such as having a strong background in and knowledge of mathematical sciences as well as good implementing skills. Most of these skills would have been acquired through their studies, with a math or computer science degree being essential – a background in engineering might also help and a PhD would further support someone looking to become a cryptographer or cryptanalyst.
Less predictable skills, but still extremely valuable, can also contribute to shaping a well-rounded professional in the field. Good intuition and communication skills can be extremely helpful when working in a team to solve complex problems, and, obviously, a real passion for privacy and a commitment to delivering solutions in the field.
Cryptography, the ‘science of security’, has come a long way over the last two decades or so, from public-key systems, such as RSA and elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), focusing on data transmission, to multiparty computation (MPC) and fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), which enables data to be processed without having to decrypt it.
With new and improved forms of cryptographic techniques being developed constantly, cryptographers also need to be open-minded and flexible to adapt to different problems and solutions as demands arise.
When looking below the surface, it becomes clear that cryptographers are much more complex figures than you might think. What is still too frequently overlooked is the importance of their role in businesses and organisations across different industries, applying their particular expertise and abilities to add value to services and products.
Here are some of businesses that should employ cryptographers and what this role could bring to the table.
Banks and providers dealing with online payments require strong protection to deliver secure...
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