February 28, 2014

"The east and west coast ceremonies each have 7 keyholders, with a further 7 people around the world who could access a last-resort measure to reconstruct the system if something calamitous were to happen."

"Each of the 14 primary keyholders owns a traditional metal key to a safety deposit box, which in turn contains a smartcard, which in turn activates a machine that creates a new master key."
The backup keyholders have something a bit different: smartcards that contain a fragment of code needed to build a replacement key-generating machine. Once a year, these shadow holders send the organisation that runs the system – the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (Icann) – a photograph of themselves with that day's newspaper and their key, to verify that all is well.

13 comments:

David said...

Skull and Bones has nothing on this group.

SJ said...

I imagine that they gather for a chant of "Key names? I can! You can! ICANN!" while holding the keys.

Edmund said...

"Trust but verify"

Wince said...

A web security expert steps forward to read out a nonsense sequence of words generated by the previous key:

"Flatfoot warranty brickyard Camelot blackjack vagabond…"’


Why did I just hear Lorde when I read that?

Ignorance is Bliss said...

I'm the Gatekeeper. Are you the Keymaster?

madAsHell said...

We had to wear black robes into the secret chapter room of the fraternity house. We had to recite individual chapter numbers in latin before entry. The room was illuminated by candles.

When Hollywood makes this movie, they will include robes, latin, and candles, but I hope they avoid Tom Cruise.

Crimso said...

With all the keys and seriousness and whatnot, what they really additionally need is what every decently designed starship and/or underground biodefense research complex has: a nuclear self-destruct.

traditionalguy said...

All will be well until Sandy Berger gets invited.

Michael in ArchDen said...

What will they do when there are no more newspapers? A picture with the daily Google "Doodle"?

dhagood said...

one key to bind them all...

George M. Spencer said...

Ghostbusters....

Zuul seeks the Keymaster to prepare for the Coming of Ghozer, the Destructor.

Kirk Parker said...

"What will they do when there are no more newspapers? "

This is just security theater; for whom, I'm not exactly sure.

1. We already have Photoshop.

2. We already have the possibility of loved-ones held hostage, either right off camera or in undisclosed locations.

stlcdr said...

I'm just glad they are keeping us safe.
[/sarc]