Quantum safe
What is it and why is it so much talked about now?
Developments in information technology are moving forward by leaps and bounds. The predictions of a few months ago are no longer valid and the future, which seemed to be distant, is not so vague anymore. What are we talking about?
About quantum computers and the concept of Quantum Safe - which in short means securing data and systems against threats posed by quantum computers. Today it is used particularly in relation to the problem of cryptography, where it is predicted that most methods in use today will not be robust to the computing power of a quantum computer.
In other words, if you encrypt your data using traditional methods, your data will not be safe in the future. There is already talk of hacking attacks to steal data now for subsequent encryption and ransom demands.
How does it work?
But let's go back to the beginning. To understand the related areas, let's first look at the principle itself.
Quantum computers work on the principle of superposition and entanglement from quantum mechanics. In simple terms, you can imagine that instead of a 1 or a 0 in a quantum computer, the processor can be in a state of 1,0 and everything in between. This generally means a big increase in computing power. However, to be able to exploit this potential, we need to apply special quantum algorithms to the quantum processor.
One such algorithm is the Shor algorithm, named after its creator, mathematician Peter Shor, created in 1992. This mathematician proposed an algorithm to solve the problem of factoring large prime numbers in polynomial time instead of exponential time.
A simple explanation: remember the chart where you were shown by the number of characters that it would take several years to crack a password, and with each additional character that number multiplied? Algorithms like Shor's can break 2048-bit RSA encryption in a matter of hours - which used to take millions of years of computation on classical systems.
Yes, the development has come a long way and "quantum" can be undoubtedly referred to as another major milestone in the development of information technology.
Where are we now and where are we going?
Quantum computers are still at an early stage of development, but their computing power is growing exponentially. Big tech companies like Google, IBM and Microsoft are already testing quantum algorithms that could change the game. While current encryption methods such as RSA or ECC are considered secure, the advent of quantum computers may make them obsolete within a few years.
Current forecasts, which are constantly changing and usually shortening in the light of developments, speak of a horizon of 5 to 15 years. Experts warn that within this time quantum computers will already be powerful enough to break conventional cryptography.
What does that mean? That data encrypted today may be decrypted in the future - and that poses a frontline risk not just to banks and governments, but more broadly to businesses of all sizes.
What can you do now?
A similar race to develop and increase computing capacity is being "run" in security. What opportunities, tools and strategies are already on offer? Check out our Quantum safe solutions from ITS & IBM, or other related articles.
