Security
Quantum technology: The double- edged sword in the fight against cybercrime
By Dr Tess Skyrme, senior technology analyst at IDTechEx T
he battle to secure communications is intensifying. Over the last twenty years hacking has grown into a lucrative enterprise. This global challenge is anticipated to worsen as the volume and value of data transmitted rises. The impact on society could be catastrophic, with the average cost of a data-breach already surpassing millions of dollars.
Quantum technology is emerging as a revolutionary new threat to data security, but ironically also a solution to better protect it. In this article IDTechEx explores key trends in the quantum communication market, and how physics is offering a truly
double-edged sword in the fight against cybercrime.
The threat of quantum computing Multiple methods of encrypting data depend on the complexity of factorizing large prime numbers. This includes those used for messenger apps and emails, as well as bank accounts, medical records and even government intelligence. Yet prime number factorization is anticipated to become an exponentially quicker problem to solve using quantum computing. Therefore, as quantum computer capabilities advance, concern is growing on their ability to fundamentally undermine data security.
The day on which quantum computers are shown capable of cracking incumbent encryption is informally referred to as ‘Q-Day’ or ‘Y2Q’. Opinion is split onto the anticipated time left until Q-Day – typically ranging from years to decades. Some headlines even suggest it may already have passed. On one hand this uncertainty is related to the unclear scale up time of quantum computer hardware. Yet there is potentially another relating to national security, with one country potentially unwilling to admit to the other their true progress.
However, consensus is growing that ignoring the quantum threat entirely
poses a significant risk. This is driving investment and interest in ‘quantum ready’ cybersecurity solutions – both hardware and software. Beyond the threat from quantum computing, the applications of these ‘quantum ready solutions’ are now also being targeted at end-users with long pre-existing data security vulnerabilities. The first wave of resulting disruption has already begun, as we are entering an era of ‘post-quantum cryptography’ (PQC) algorithm adoption. Yet staying entirely safe long-term is anticipated to depend on quantum hardware, including quantum random number generators and quantum key distribution.
Source: IDTechEx 44 March 2024 Components in Electronics
www.cieonline.co.uk
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