The Chinese announced: “We started the quantum apocalypse”

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Lerato Khumalo

Chinese researchers at Shanghai University have claimed that they are moving towards breaking military-grade encryption with the help of a quantum computer.

In a Chinese-language paper published in the scientific journal Chinese Journal of Computers late last month, researchers claimed to have successfully used one of Canadian IT firm D-Wave’s off-the-shelf computers to attack widely used cryptography algorithms known as Substitution-Permutation Networks (SPN).

According to the news in Euronews, SPNs are used in systems tasked with protecting highly sensitive institutions, including the military and banks.

If the researchers’ claim is confirmed, institutions may have to reconsider their cybersecurity measures.

SYSTEMS MAY BE DESTROYED

On the other hand, experts have long warned that quantum computers, which work very differently from traditional computers, could soon shatter the encryption standards used to protect highly confidential information.

Recent research also shows that technology is making progress towards such a possibility.

Commentators call this possible future, in which all currently used encryption systems may become ineffective, a “quantum apocalypse.”

The new paper by Chinese researchers may also be the first example in which a real quantum computer poses a serious threat to the multiple full-scale SPNs in use today, The South China Morning Post reported.

On the other hand, some experts who reviewed the article are of the opinion that the details of the techniques used to break SPNs were left unclear.

It is also stated that the quantum-assisted attack described in the article was implemented against a much shorter encryption key than those generally used in the real world.

Still, some commentators are concerned that this could theoretically be seen as the beginning of a quantum apocalypse.

“The use of an off-the-shelf quantum system to develop a viable attack angle against classical encryption will advance the debate on the need to rethink the way data is protected,” said Laura Dobberstein, technology writer at The Register.