Banks, governments, and tech providers are being urged to strengthen their security, as current systems are expected to become obsolete soon.
Google has warned that banks, governments, and technology providers need to prepare for quantum computer hackers, which could potentially break most existing encryption systems by 2029.
In a blog post, the tech giant said quantum computers would present a “significant threat to current cryptographic standards” before the decade ends, urging other organizations to follow its lead.
“The encryption currently used to keep your information confidential and secure could easily be broken by a large-scale quantum computer in the coming years,” Google said.
Quantum computers, capable of performing complex calculations at unprecedented speeds, are still an emerging technology, with major hurdles to widespread usability. Companies like Google, Microsoft, and several universities in the UK and US are developing systems that leverage quantum mechanics for sophisticated mathematical computations.
However, building these systems is highly challenging. Many require vast amounts of helium to cool quantum components to near-absolute zero, or weeks of precision work aligning lasers. Current functioning systems are too small to perform the tasks most exciting to researchers.
Creating a truly powerful quantum computer—with hundreds of thousands or even millions of stable qubits (quantum bits)—will demand solutions to keep qubits stable, given the fragile nature of quantum systems.
Google added: “We’ve adjusted our threat model to prioritize post-quantum cryptography migration for authentication services—an important component of online security and digital signature migrations. We recommend that other engineering teams follow suit.”
Leonie Mueck, formerly chief product officer at Cambridge-based quantum startup Riverlane, noted that Google’s warning does not guarantee a fully working encryption-breaking quantum computer by 2029. Most projections for a cryptographically relevant quantum computer range from the 2030s to the 2050s. Still, the threat is close enough that governments are preparing for the possibility that data secured by today’s standards could eventually be exposed.
“We’re seeing intelligence agencies already considering this threat for over a decade,” Mueck said.
Last year, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre urged organizations to protect systems against quantum hackers by 2035.
Google’s timeline signals that engineering teams in the tech industry should begin migrating sensitive data to advanced encryption systems now. Attacks based on future quantum decryption—so-called “store now, decrypt later” strategies—may already be underway.
Mueck added: “National security documents from 1920 are irrelevant today. But documents from 10 years ago are still sensitive and must be protected so that a quantum computer in 10 years won’t be able to decrypt them.”
Source: theguardian Edited by Bernie
