Quantum computing and cybersecurity share a surprising, very scary connection that could one day threaten the security of your business (not to mention literally every other secure system on the planet).
How’s that for an attention-grabbing headline?
The problem is, more than just an attention-grabber, this one’s 100% true.
Today’s tech giants see the threat coming and are starting to work on answers so when this nearly inevitable future arrives, we’ll be prepared. But that preparation starts with business leaders like you knowing what to watch for.
What Is Quantum Computing?
Quantum computing is a new approach to computing that relies on quantum mechanics instead of binary math.
Sounds like science fiction, but it’s a whole lot more real than that. Or at least it’s about to be.
Where conventional computers operate in binary (every bit is either a one or a zero), quantum computers operate in much more intricate quantum physics, which changes how computing works at literally the subatomic level.
But to understand what any of this means, we need to explain how regular computers work first.
Conventional Computing Defined
Conventional computers work with bits, ones and zeros that represent “on” and “off” states. Hard to believe, but everything you see on your screen right now breaks down to zeros and ones. Computers function by crunching through those ones and zeros at mind-blowing speed. But it’s still essentially a linear process.
Quantum Computing Leaps Forward
(We tried really hard to avoid a Quantum Leap joke, but alas.)
Quantum physics involves quantum particles, called qubits. These much smaller entities don’t behave the way regular particles and bits appear to behave, working in ways IBM calls “surprising behaviors.” Four of these behaviors exist: superposition, entanglement, decoherence, and interference.
Alright, this is getting too deep for a short blog post. Essentially, qubits in superposition hold “a combination of all possible configurations of the qubit.” Where classical bits are either on or off, qubits can simultaneously be both on and off.
For certain types of computation and problem-solving, quantum computing promises to solve in minutes or hours what our biggest supercomputers couldn’t do in a thousand years (literally).
Why Does Any of This Matter?
You may be wondering at this point: so what?
Your business isn’t getting a quantum computer anytime soon, so why should you care?
In a word: security.
Today’s encryption is built around mathematical equations that are simply impractical to solve. The solution is out there, but no one could ever “do the math” in their lifetime, making these systems essentially impenetrable.
But remember what we said about quantum computers solving in seconds what today’s best supercomputers can’t solve in multiple lifetimes? That’s exactly the problem.
Microsoft and other tech leaders envision a future where some combination of AI and quantum computing renders today’s encryption techniques completely useless.
That’s a nightmare. Every business secret, military report, and nuclear launch code, completely unprotected? Yikes.
Now, to be clear, we’re years away from that future. Which is why now is the time to start solving for the next generation of digital security.
Microsoft Working on Post-Quantum Security
If the quantum computers of tomorrow can crack today’s encryption with little effort, we need a new system that quantum computers can’t crack. Several tech giants are already stepping up, and Microsoft has recently said it’s speeding up the company’s work on post-quantum security.
What this looks like is far beyond what anyone could explain in a short blog post, and it isn’t the kind of technology that folks like you or us will be working with directly (just like none of us directly run the technology underlying today’s encryption). Instead, it will eventually start being baked into products that we use.
Microsoft is targeting the end of the decade for having its most important services quantum-ready.
This kind of forward-looking preparation has always been foundational to digital security, quantum or not. Now is the time to start shifting your business’s approach to digital security so you can get protected from today’s threats and be better positioned for tomorrow’s.
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