BlackBerry announces a new quantum-resistant code signing service

More generally anything based on the discrete logarithm problem (so both rsa and ecc) are not quantum resistance.

As explained to me by an actual maths guy the basic issue is that DLP is heavily biased across its key space. Shor’s algorithm leverages this by doing a Fourier transform that gets the incorrect values to cancel out. The quantum resistant algorithms work by creating an unbiased key space so there’s no ability to cancel out the incorrect answers without also cancelling out the correct ones. In theory anyway. The mailing list seems to consist mostly of people posting flaws in their own systems and/or each other’s.

Think of how fast people's Ruby on Rails projects would be now! ;)

I've been told quantum chemistry and physics simulation. For example drug discovery via simulation.

Branch prediction seems like a place where we want to compute multiple states.

They pivoted to making software.

They're much less a hardware business anymore.

I own a KeyOne, released last year with Android instead of BB's own OS. I love it, only downside is that I had to import it as it isn't available in my country ... I'd mainly used Samsung flagship phones before and got really tired of all the bloatware as well as typing on a touchscreen. (Can't believe more people are questioning touchscreen typing on phones, I think it's horrible and I don't have the largest set of fingers in the world.) I bought it for roughly $500 and this is what I make of it after one year of using it:

The camera on my KeyOne is superior to anything I've tried before, I'd even go as far as saying that it's up there and competing with the giants. The Sony Z2 Compact camera is a potato in comparison. The keyboard feels a bit cheap and some keys make a squeeking noise, but it's still better than touchscreen typing by far. I've dropped the phone on a number of occassions, it hasn't broken once. The backside tend to pop out, but it's easy to put it back in place again. My biggest complain about the hardware would be the screen, as I haven't access to any protective accessories my screen is pretty scratched by now. It doesn't affect what's displayed on the screen (yet) however, but yeah, I think it scratch too easily. Like I said, the OS is Android, and it's been fairly problem free for being Android. However, lately it has been a bit too agressive in shutting down apps in the background. But I don't know if that is BB's own build's fault or Android in general. There are some pre-installed "security" apps which gives the feeling of the phone being more secure than your other average Android phone. I don't use them though.

My over all impression of the KeyOne is 8 out of 10 I'd say, and I think I'll keep it until it literally fall apart.

QNX will let them transition into a car company

https://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2018/10/01/bl...

BlackBerry is not only still in business, but they are profitable too. [1]

Their handset business is almost completely wiped out. The catch is that they're making their money off enterprise software and services. They also still have their QNX business, but maintaining their lead in the automotive sector will be challenging. It remains to be seen how long their strategy will work.

[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-blackberry-results/blackb...

My spouse has a Blackberry and when it wears out he plans on replacing it with another Blackberry. Why? I dunno, something about it being Canadian and not from Apple.

So a gaping security vulnerability built-in?

If you don't mind me asking, what track record is that? A quick googling only revealed them giving access to their consumer messaging service.

There was a talk at 34C3 which covered these attacks pretty well (although those breaks were not the primary aim of the talk):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCsvBFFLsqE

https://latticehacks.cr.yp.to/