Quantum computers promise to solve important scientific problems, but they could also be used to crack data security systems. Researchers have performed a new analysis of this threat and have concluded that such quantum-hacking ability may come sooner than previously expected [1]. The team estimates that 500,000 quantum bits (qubits) are needed to crack the most common crypto-security system used today, which is a reduction by a factor of 20 below prior estimates. The implication is that a wide-range of institutions—including government agencies, commercial companies, and cryptocurrency providers—need to rapidly update their cybersecurity to the latest “quantum-resistant” codes.
“Quantum technologies have been thought of as ‘over a decade away’ for a long time,” says Stephanie Simmons, a quantum researcher from Simon Fraser University in Canada, who was not involved in the new research. But large-scale quantum computers may become available in a few years, she says. One of these machines may become available in a few years, she says, and that possibility has implications for how society protects sensitive infrastructure, such as satellite control systems, power grids, and financial institutions.
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