The ability to use encryption to protect data in transit is a critical functionality in information technology today. Encryption algorithms we use come in two different forms, symmetric and asymmetric, and rely on complicated algorithms. Symmetric cryptography relies on two or more parties having copies of the same encryption key which can be used to both encrypt and decrypt data. Asymmetric, as the name might indicate, is an encryption schema in which two keys exist, the public key and the private key. Each of these two keys can encrypt data which the other can decrypt. The reason these complex algorithms are effective for encryption is because computing them in one direction is reasonably easy, but reversing that computation in the opposite direction is much more difficult, and more importantly, beyond the capability of hardware that is commonly available today [1]. This is where quantum computing comes into play.

Quantum computing is an emerging technology which capitalizes on a complex quantum mechanics phenomenon where "particles can exist not only in the 0 and 1 state but in both simultaneously, known as superposition. A particle collapses into one of these states when it is inspected" [1]. In quantum computing these particles are called qubits. Two types of quantum computing have emerged from the development of this technology, non-universal and universal. These two types can be compared very directly to another advancing technology in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Generally speaking, machine learning is the ability for a computer to learn based on specific given input to complete a fairly specific task, whereas artificial intelligence is a more vast concept in which a machine is theoretically capable of learning from many things and completing many complex and unrelated tasks. Universal and non-universal quantum computing are similar. "Universal quantum computers are developed to perform any given task, whereas non-universal quantum computers are developed for a given purpose" [1].

The significant takeaway from the advancements in this hardware capability is that the algorithms which are currently very difficult if not impossible for today's hardware to reverse is becoming well within the realm of possibility with quantum computing. If we persist with today's encryption standards then when this technology becomes common, as our hardware today has over the last few decades, data in transit will no longer be safe from sniffing. Instead, we should leverage the technology to our advantage, as well as other upcoming capabilities to build new encryption methods which are unbreakable even by quantum computers. Several new encryption methods are in development today by NIST such as "McEliece, Saber, Crystals-Kyber, and NTRU" [2]. Organizations everywhere using this technology to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of digital communications should prepare to transition to new methods as soon as they become available to stay ahead of malicious cyber actors.

References

[1] V. Mavroedidis, K. Vishi, M. Zych, and A. Josang, “The imapct of quantum computing on present cryptography,” International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications, vol. 9, 2018.
[2] W. Copeland, “Quantum computing will break today’s encryption standards here’s what to do about it.” https://www.verizon.com/about/news/quantum-computing-encryption-standards, October 2021.