Staying Ahead of the Race – Quantum Computing and Cybersecurity

This articles discusses the use of quantum computing advances as a tool to enhance encryption. With the increasing sophistication of quantum computing, encryption becomes essentially non-existent as quantum machines can hack secure systems in a matter of seconds. That being said quantum computers are dependent on quibits and therefore must be contained in a highly regulated location, so they are not portable or individual by any means. In the past decade, quantum computing has advanced rapidly through companies like Google and IBM up to a 72 quibit computer which encourages they need for new algorithms and crypto-analysis to restore confidence in encryption. Its expected that within the next 10 years, there will be a 'universal quantum computer' that would invalidate security measures, so there is a major risk involved in this technological development. To assuage the damage this could cause, it is important to monitor the advancements of quantum computing and create a crypto-agility to better prepare for cyber attacks that could be a result of advancing quantum capabilities.