022 023 How quantum computers break the internet Ethan Tsang In modern times, encrypted data is stored in every cooperation, government, and sometimes even individuals. Digital security systems use mathematical formulas to encrypt our data and information on the cyberspace. The current cryptography method, RSA , has been very successful from its very beginnings in the 1990s. This allowed governments, corporations and even individuals to share private information on the Internet safely. How it works is each computer has two very big prime numbers which cannot be shared. These two prime numbers are multiplied together to form a bigger number which is made public, you can think of this as a key. When a message is sent on the Internet, your computer uses the public number of the recipient to garble the text into ciphertext. For anyone other than the recipient to decrypt the prime number, it is said that it would take at least 16 million years for a modern supercomputer to decrypt. The supercomputer will have to guess every combination of 2 numbers that make up that very large prime number. But not on a quantum computer. In normal computers, bits are can only be the state 0 or 1. In quantum computers, instead of bits, they use qubits, which can be in 0, 1 or both. This is possible due to superposition allowing it to be in multiple states at the same time. This makes the quantum computer able to perform calculations in a totally different way than normal computers. IBM’s Condor computer, thought to be the most powerful quantum computer yet developed, only has 1121 qubits when most computer scientists consider it would take 1 million qubits to realize the technology’s potential. This brings us to the cybersecurity issues. At present, the most common method used to secure all our digital data relies on the RSA algorithm, which is vulnerable to being cracked by a quantum machine. This breach in encryption could lead to very huge consequences when it comes to sensitive information from governments and corporations. How quantum computers do it is using Shor’s algorithm. Shor’s algorithm is used for finding prime numbers using quantum computers devised by mathematician Peter Shor in 1994. It’s a groundbreaking algorithm that efficiently factors large integers, which is a problem that is notoriously hard for classical computers but could potentially be solved much faster with quantum computers. In simple terms, Shor’s algorithm uses the power of quantum computers to quickly find the factors of big numbers, which is something traditional computers struggle with. The key to Shor’s algorithm’s efficiency lies in its ability to exploit the parallelism and interference properties of quantum mechanics. It can simultaneously evaluate many possible solutions to find the correct one much faster than classical algorithms, which typically have to try each possibility one by one. Shor’s algorithm breaks RSA encryption, which relies on the difficulty of factoring large numbers. Quantum computers capable of running Shor’s algorithm at scale are still in the future due to technical challenges in building and operating large-scale quantum computers. The current IBM Osprey does not come close to the number of qubits required to run Shor’s algorithm. Mitigating the risks Many governments have been spending large amounts of funds into researching and developing quantum computers. The US has committed 3 billion in funding while China is said to commit at least 15 billion. As well as being enticed by all the possibilities quantum computing can bring, governments are concerned about the security implications of developing quantum computers. Store Now, Decrypt Later (SNDL) is a system that involves storing encrypted data and waiting for the coming of quantum breakthroughs that would allow the decryption of that data. To mitigate this, the US president, Joe Biden has signed the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, encouraging federal government agencies to adopt technology that will protect against quantum computing attacks. At the National Cyber Security Centre in the UK, they have introduced Quantum-safe cryptography (QSC). The NCSC believes that adoption of QSC will provide the most effective mitigation for the quantum computing threat. How quantum computers break the internet In modern 6mes, encrypted data is stored in every coopera6on, government, and some6mes even individuals. Digital security systems use mathema6cal formulas to encrypt our data and informa6on on the cyberspace. The current cryptography method, RSA , has been very successful from its very beginnings in the 1990s. This allowed governments, cooperates and even individuals to share private informa6on on the Internet safely. How it works is each computer has two very big prime numbers which cannot be shared. These two prime numbers are mul6plied together to form a bigger number which is made public, you can think of this as a key. When a message is sent on the Internet, your computer uses the public number of the recipient to garble the text into ciphertext. For anyone other than the recipient to decrypt the prime number, it is said that it would take at least 16 million years for a modern supercomputer to decrypt. The supercomputer will have to guess every combina6on of 2 numbers hat make up that very large prime number. But not on a quantum co puter. In normal computers, bits are can only be the state 0 or 1. In quantum computers, instead of bits, they use qubits, which can be in 0, 1 or both. This is possible due to superposi6on allowing it to be in mul6ple states at the same 6me. This makes the quantum computer being able to p rform calcula6ons in a totally different way than normal computers. IBM’s Condor computer, hought to be the most powerful quantum computer yet developed, only has 1121 qubits when most computer scien6sts consider it would take 1 million qubits to realize the technology’s poten6al. IBM’s Condor with 1121 qubits This brings us to the cybersecurity issues. At present, the most common method used to secure all our digital data relies on the RSA algorithm, which is vulnerable to being cracked by a quantum machine. This breach in encryp6on could lead to very huge consequences when it comes to sensi6ve informa6on from governments and coopera6on’s. How quantum computers do it is using Shor’s algorithm. Shor’s algorithm is used for finding prime numbers using quantum computers devised by mathema6cian Peter Shor in 1994. It's a groundbreaking algorithm that efficiently factors large integ rs, which is a probl m that is notoriously h rd f r classical computers but could p ten6ally be solved much faster with quantum computers. In simple terms, Shor's algorithm uses the power of quantum computers to quickly find the factors of big numbers, which is something tradi6onal computers struggle with. The key to Shor's algorithm's efficiency lies in its ability to exploit the parallelism and interference roper6es of quantum mechanics. It can simulta eously evaluate many possible solu6ons to find the correct one much faster than classical algorithms, which typically have to try each p s ibi ity one by one. Shor’s algorithm breaks RSA encryp6on, which relies on t e difficulty of factoring large numbers. Quantum computers capable of running Shor's algorithm at scale are s6ll in the future due to te hnical challenges in building and opera6ng large-scale quantum computers. The current IBM Osprey does not come close to the number of qubits required to run Shor’s algorithm. Mi#ga#ng the risks Many governments have been spending large amounts of funds into researching and developing quantum computers. The US has commiZed 3 billion in funding while China is said to commit at least 15 billion. As well as being en6ced by all the possibili6es quantum compu6 g can bring, governments are concerned about the security implica6ons of develop ng ntum computers. Store Now, Decrypt Later (SNDL) is a system th t involves storing encrypted data and wai6ng for the coming f quantum breakthroughs that would allow the decryp6on of hat data. To mi6gate this, the US president, Joe Biden has signed the Quantum Compu6ng Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, encouraging federal government agencies to adopt technology that will protect against quantum co pu6ng aZacks. At the Na6on Cyber Security Centre in the UK, they have introduced Quantum-safe cryptography (QSC). The NCSC believes that adop6on of QSC will provide the most effec6ve mi6ga6on for the quantum compu6ng threat. It is evident that quantum compu6ng poses a threat to cybersecurity. Quantum computers are advancing exponen6ally and in a few decades, quantum computers that are able to run Shor’s Algorithm will be a thing of reality. Robust and secure transi6ons to safer op6ons like the QSC will take a lot of 6me to plan and implement. Proac6ve efforts in developing quantum-resistant cryptography and secure communica6on protocols are essen6al to mi6gate poten6al threats and ensure the security of sensi6ve informa6on in the quantum era. IBM’s Condor with 1121 qubits
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