Quantum Computing and its Impact on Cryptography

Advances in technology has brought into focus the need to have double assurance on data security, especially with the world moving from classical to Quantum Computing, which latter has the power to unlock the toughest of cyber-locks. In addition, this conundrum over cyber-security has also brought to the fore the dilemma between maintaining an individual's right to privacy and the state’s obligation to undertake data surveillance in the interest of security.

To put the power of quantum Computing into perspective, here are some of the examples whurley wrote about in one of his superposition.com posts:

“For example, quantum computers can debug millions of lines of software code in seconds, making reliable aircraft, cars, MRI scanners, etc. more efficient to produce. Scientists are eager to use quantum computers to analyze microbes so they can create new vaccines, which quantum computers could then be used to optimize to reduce unwanted side effects. Some scientists believe that quantum computers are essential for achieving breakthrough preventative and treatments protocols for healthcare … Volkswagen is working on a quantum computing platform capable of alerting drivers to traffic jams, 45 minutes before they occur.”

As nations around the world like China are investing heavily on the research and development of Quantum computing, technology when fallen into wrong hands can make most of the sophisticated encryption systems futile. Therefore it can make all rogue states leverage the power of quantum to attack the banking and financial systems based mainly in western countries.

In short, Quantum Computing can prove as an unprecedented opportunity to the virtual world and as a serious threat.

The keyword for a safe transaction of data is post-quantum cryptography.

To name one such project, there is the IOTA foundation

What many people do not yet know is, IOTA has an integrated quantum-resistant algorithm, the Winternitz One-Time Signature Scheme.

The Winternitz hash is known as a post-quantum signature because quantum attacks don’t significantly lower the security given by this hashes.

Or (QRL) the Quantum Resistant Ledger, which main goal is to provide a fork on which existing blockchain would become quantum resistant.

QRL implements a series of peer-reviewd post-quantum secure algorithms: XMSS (eXtended Merkle Signature Scheme) XMSS uses a OTS (One Time Signature Scheme) that can only sign one message with one key. OTS signature keys are generated as needed, making XMSS unforgeable under chosen message attacks.

But whereas there are incomprehensive dangers it's not all doom and gloom, there still are unimaginable upsides to Quantum Computing.

For example, today in order to develop an effective drug, chemists need to evaluate the interactions between molecules, proteins and chemicals to see if medicines will improve certain conditions or cure diseases. Due to the extraordinary amount of combinations that are analyzed, this is time and labor intensive. Since quantum computers can review multiple molecules, proteins and chemicals simultaneously, they make it possible for chemists to determine viable drug options quicker. Additionally, some drugs are being cancelled in the trial stage even when they might work for a subset of the population. Quantum computing would allow for a person’s genes to be sequenced and analyzed much more rapidly than the methods we use today and would allow for personalized drug development.

Personalized drugs is only the beginning.

IBM has already modeled the far lighter beryllium hydride molecule using a six qubit quantum computer. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory determined all of the energy state of a hydrogen molecule with their own two qubit quantum computer.

There is no end in sight, what benefits the processing power of a quantum computer can have.

The only question remains, what do people use this power for..