Why quantum computing can put encryption at risk?
Quantum computing is considered as an evolution of computer technology, which can allow much faster calculations than are possible today.
Unlike the numerals one and zero that alternately uses digital computing, quantum computers use what are known as overlays. These are states of matter that can be both zero and one numbers at a time. That means that one of the advantages of the quantum computer is to be able to perform calculations in all its overlays at the same time. This results in faster data processing and a marked reduction in waiting times, allowing the calculation and resolution of very advanced problems, in a much shorter time compared to digital computers.
However, this ability of quantum computing to perform very advanced calculations is of concern to the security industry as it could make it possible to violate existing encryption methods.
This week IBM placed the first quantum processor in the cloud, allowing users to run experiments from any computer. This demonstrates how close the implementation of quantum computing is to every day in almost any sector of society. However, the great attraction for power centers, such as banks and states, is known to succeed in breaking the security protocols of cryptones.
In fact, according to the Washington Post, the US National Security Agency (NSA) is developing a computer that could decrypt most encryption systems, whether used to protect information from other countries or citizens' bank accounts Common and common.
The news is based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, which indicates that the NSA has a $ 79.7 million program called "Penetrating Difficult Targets" designed to develop a "cryptologically useful quantum computer."
Larger and more powerful quantum computers, capable of breaking encryptions like Bitcoin's ECDSA, are only now dependent on an engineering effort, as posed by Isaac Chuang, a team member who conducted a Shor algorithm study published in the journal Science
"We demonstrated that Shor's algorithm, the most complex quantum algorithm known to date, is achievable in a way that, all you have to do is go to the lab, apply more technology, and you'll be able to make quantum computers more big. It may still cost a huge amount of money to build them - you will not be building a quantum computer and putting it on your desk in a near time - but now it's much more an engineering effort, not a physical question. "- Mit News
We do not doubt that much effort and money will be put into operation to achieve this development. That is why it is necessary that the users and developers of the ecosystem of Bitcoin begin to be nourished of information related to this subject to constitute joint solutions that strengthen the security of the network, specifically the associated algorithms of cryptography.
The US National Institute for Standards and Technology recently announced that it will open a public competition to find new encryption standards that are harder to penetrate, hoping to have some that can resist quantum computing by 2023 .
As a decentralized network, Bitcoin needs the technology enthusiasts to collaborate actively in the search for solutions that can overcome the obstacles present and guarantee the stability of the network for the future.