unilad homepage
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • World News
    • Crime
    • Health
    • Money
    • Sport
    • Travel
  • Film and TV
    • Netflix
  • Music
  • Tech
  • Features
  • Celebrity
  • Politics
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content
Company's wall of lava lamps creates 'unhackable' code that protects people on the internet

Home> News

Published 15:14 8 Nov 2024 GMT

Company's wall of lava lamps creates 'unhackable' code that protects people on the internet

It's impossible to hack - and you can even participate in it

Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard Kaonga

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
Featured Image Credit: Cloudflare/Instagram / @‌londonliu_

Topics: News, Technology, US News

Gerrard Kaonga
Gerrard Kaonga

Gerrard is a Journalist at UNILAD and has dived headfirst into covering everything from breaking global stories to trending entertainment news. He has a bachelors in English Literature from Brunel University and has written across a number of different national and international publications. Most notably the Financial Times, Daily Express, Evening Standard and Newsweek.

Advert

Advert

Advert

When it comes to protecting your data, there's a multitude of ways you could likely achieve that - though I imagine lava lamps wasn't your first guess.

As hackers create a variety of methods to access your technological devices - including some very creative ways, let's say -people are having to also find ways to protect their internet information.

An encryption key would be a great start, however, it isn't entirely fool-proof as it all hinges on how easy the code is to get hold of if you're not the intended recipient, because if you have the key then the data is no longer encrypted.

Advert

The problem that arises there is that if you are using computers to generate these codes, the machines can start to show patterns in the codes they generate.

So, if you are smart enough to spot a pattern, then you can find a way around this and predict the code, and if you make enough guesses using a predictable pattern which you've observed, then it's possible that one will be correct eventually, and then the game's up.

So, the obvious way to get around this problem is make sure that your encryption codes are as random as is possible.

But how do you go about ensuring this?

Well, encryption company Cloudflare came up with an elegant and effective solution - lava lamps.

Yes, you read that right.

A rather colorful way to protect your data (Cloudflare)
A rather colorful way to protect your data (Cloudflare)

Completely random codes are difficult, but when you look at the movement in a lava lamp, it's never quite the same between any two moments.

Part of what makes them so appealing is how they morph and change in that charming way. This is a random pattern, and more importantly is very unpredictable, which is exactly why Cloudflare use them.

Instagrammer @londonliu_ took to the social media platform to further explain how this works.

She said: "As the lava lamp bubbles move a video camera on the ceiling mirrors their changes to a computer, which converts the randomness into a code that's pretty much un-hackable."

Not only that, but you can even participate in the process.

The strategy makes things infinitely harder for hackers (Instagram / @londonliu_)
The strategy makes things infinitely harder for hackers (Instagram / @londonliu_)

You might think that such important lava lamps would be safely locked away in some bizarre science fiction vault, but in fact, they are open to the public.

The content creator further explained: "It's actually possible to see these lava lamps in person.

"The company actually welcomes visitors because external disturbances like human movement and changes in lighting all work together to make the random code even harder to predict.

"So in a way by standing in front of the lava lamp display, you play a role in making the internet a more secure place."

Choose your content:

3 mins ago
11 mins ago
24 mins ago
an hour ago
  • (Getty Stock Images)
    3 mins ago

    Doctor explains early warning signs of penile cancer that can lead to amputation if left untreated

    It's a bigger killer than testicular cancer, but can be treated effectively if caught early.

    News
  • YouTube/Powerful JRE
    11 mins ago

    Joe Rogan shares theory on why Trump started war in Iran after heated podcast rant

    Podcaster Joe Rogan has blasted Trump's decision to go to war and believes he knows why the president chose to bomb Iran

    News
  • Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
    24 mins ago

    Trump makes bold claim about NATO as he slams Greenland as ‘big, poorly run piece of ice’

    Trump has renewed his frustrations over Greenland after meeting with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte.

    News
  • Spencer Platt/Getty Images
    an hour ago

    New US military draft rules explained as automatic registration begins this year

    Millions of young Americans will be automatically registered for the military draft by the end of the year

    News
  • Company uses wall of lava lamps to create 'unhackable' code that protects people on the internet
  • Countries that will pay you to move there as people leaving US hits record high
  • First US citizens that would be drafted in war as president 'keeps his options on the table'
  • Footage of real-life Wolf of Wall Street using his famous sales tactics on a person is leaving people divided