Marcus du Sautoy explains how prime numbers make the internet safer
Marcus du Sautoy, mathematician and author of The Great Unknown, explained how "the more we understand about primes, the more insecure our codes are on the internet."
He told Business Insider: "If there is a pattern [with prime numbers] it might have very big implications because internet cryptography is based on the fact that we don't understand prime numbers.
"So if you're trying to crack a code on the internet actually you're trying to solve a mathematical problem about prime numbers."
Marcus du Sautoy's book The Great Unknown is available for purchase now.
Filmed and produced by Leon Siciliano
Marcus du Sautoy, mathematician and author of The Great Unknown, explained how "the more we understand about primes, the more insecure our codes are on the internet."
He told Business Insider: "If there is a pattern [with prime numbers] it might have very big implications because internet cryptography is based on the fact that we don't understand prime numbers.
"So if you're trying to crack a code on the internet actually you're trying to solve a mathematical problem about prime numbers."
Marcus du Sautoy's book The Great Unknown is available for purchase now.
Filmed and produced by Leon Siciliano