Quantum computers apart is the use of atomic particles to form quantum bits, or qubits for short, rather than silicon-based transistors. This makes them exponentially more powerful. It’s estimated that a single 50-qubit quantum computer would outperform today’s most powerful mainframes—without breaking a sweat.
Like black holes, quantum computing was for many years nothing more than a theoretical possibility. It was something that physicists believed could exist, but it hadn’t yet been observed or invented.
Today, not only is quantum computing a proven technology, it’s a radically new field with the potential to upend countless industries—not least being cybersecurity systems that rely on uncrackable encryption.In the years since, quantum computing has grown rapidly in both computational power and accessibility thanks to investment from both the private and public sectors. Among the major players are household names such as Lockheed Martin and Microsoft. In 2011, working with the University of Southern California, Lockheed Martin launched its own quantum research division. Microsoft got in the game in 2016.
Although they’re widely considered to be the most cryptographically secure communication channels, there may be no defense against the 50-qubit quantum computers that are expected to come online in the next decade. That’s not to mention the 100,000-qubit crypto-killers that IBM plans to eventually build.
Whether you’re sending money via Paypal or authorizing a user for root access, you’re relying on security systems based on cryptography. And modern cryptography relies on mathematical calculations so complex—using such large numbers—that attackers can’t crack them.
But these math problems are not technically impossible to crack; they are practically impossible. Using the most powerful computers available today, hackers would need hundreds, thousands, even millions of years to perform these calculations.
