72 KAM Mathematical Colloquium

Abstract

Network security is terrible, and we are constantly threatened with the prospect of imminent doom. Yet such warnings have been common for the last two decades. In spite of that, the situation has not gotten any beter. On the other hand, there have not been any great disasters either. To understand this paradox, we need to consider not just the technology, but also the economics, sociology and psychology of security. Any technology that requires care from millions of people, most very unsophisticated in technical issues, will be limited in its effectiveness by what those people are willing and able to do. The interaction of human society and human nature suggest that security will continue being applied as an afterthought. We will have to put up with the equivalent of bailing wire and chewing gum, and to live on the edge of intolerable frustration. However, that is not likely to block development and deployment of information technology, because of the non-technological protection mechanisms in our society.
 

O přednášejícím

Andrew Odlyzko vystudoval na MIT, a v pocatku sve vedecke drahy byl ovlivnen G.-C. Rotou (umbralni kalkul). Pote byl dele nez 25 let jednim z vedoucich pracovniku Bell Laboratories (pozdeji AT&T Bell Labs a AT&T Labs). V soucasne dobe je profesorem na Univerzite v Minesote, kde byl zakladajicim reditelem Digital Technology Center, reditel Institutu superpocitacu a pak vicerektorem. Je cestnym doktorem University Marne la Valee a je clenem edicnich rad vice nez 20 casopisu.

Prof. Odlyzko je renesancnim matematikem. Jeho aktivita zahrnuje jak teorii cisel (analytickou i kombinatorickou), tak kryptografii, matematickou analyzu a pravdepodobnost, teorii kodovani, slozitost algoritmu (napr. Odlyzkuv-Schonhageuv algoritmus). Je autorem rovnez tri patentu. Z  jeho vysledku zminme pouze vyvraceni Mertensovy hypotezy (v roce 1985, spolu s te Rielem, hypoteza sama byla z  roku 1897). Je autorem dalsich hojne citovanych praci vcetne praci filosofickych a popularnich tykajicich se moderni teorie pocitacu, problematiky internetu v moderni spolecnosti a roli vedce a vedecke prace v soucasnosti. Jeho prazske kolokvium se nekterych z techto temat bude rovnez tykat.