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The Quantum Apocalypse Is Coming. Be Very Afraid
What happens when quantum computers can finally crack encryption and break into the world’s best-kept secrets? It’s called Q-Day—the worst holiday maybe ever.
These math problems have kept humanity’s intimate data safe for decades, but on Q-Day, everything could become vulnerable, for everyone: emails, text messages, anonymous posts, location histories, bitcoin wallets, police reports, hospital records, power stations, the entire global financial system. Cybercriminals with access to a quantum computer could use it to go after the same targets more effectively, or take bigger swings: hijacking the SWIFT international payments system to redirect money transfers, or conducting corporate espionage to collect kompromat. As researchers solve the engineering challenge of isolating qubits from the environment, they’ll develop exquisitely sensitive quantum sensors that will be able to unmask stealth ships and map hidden bunkers, or give us new insight into the human body.
Or read this on Wired
