Qualification primary research - Quantum Computing

1.

Quantum Computers Breaking RSA and ECC: It could be even as big as 10 to 20 years before we have powerful enough quantum computers to crack encryption such as RSA and ECC, the experts say. We currently have quantum computers, but they are still in their infancy and do not have enough capacity to break these systems. Luckily, it is something that is happening very quickly, and we need to keep a close watch on it, but there are advancements happening very quickly.

2.

Challenges in Post-Quantum Cryptography: The main issue is to devise algorithms that are not broken by quantum attacks while at the same time being efficient enough for practical applications. The post-quantum algorithms also must be very well tested and standardized before they can be reasonably used. The hard thing now is pushing for research, and the quantum-safe transition will take some time from where we are with current encryption standards.

3.

AES-256 in the Quantum Era: AES-256, and other symmetric encryption methods, are less expected to be vulnerable to quantum attacks than asymmetric algorithms such as RSA. Grover’s algorithm would enable brute force attacks at a much faster speed on quantum computers, however, decryption of AES-256 would still require a considerable amount of quantum computational power. Therefore, it’s not completely secure, but it’s not invincible.

4.

Governments and Scientists Preparing for Quantum Risks: Post quantum cryptography research is being funded by governments and some have already started to fund the development of quantum safe encryption standards. Other countries are following the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) example, and it is working hard to standardize post-quantum cryptographic algorithms.

5.

Industries at Risk from Quantum Attacks: The most at-risk industries are those with highly sensitive information; this includes financial services, healthcare, and government agencies. If encryption on these sectors can be broken by quantum computers, it could be a potential huge risk.

6.

Limitations in Large-Scale Quantum Computers: There are, of course, huge technical challenges. Maintaining coherence of a stable qubit that could support quantum computation is an enormous hurdle. These also make it difficult to build large-scale quantum computers due to the physical requirements (such as supercooling the processors). First, these challenges may slow the quantum threat to cryptography.

7.

Role of Companies like Google and IBM: Google and IBM are both in the game of advancing quantum computing technology and developing quantum-safe algorithms. The "quantum supremacy" experiment that Google conducted was a milestone in quantum computing, and companies like IBM are involved in the quantum algorithms as well as quantum-safe encryption standard research.

8.

Harvest Now, Decrypt Later: Indeed, there is worry about “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks where attackers gather encrypted data now and then wait for quantum computers to be able to decrypt it later. This is really a big risk, particularly if you are dealing with long-term data. Therefore, businesses should already start moving towards post-quantum cryptography to future-proof their systems.