this post was submitted on 27 Mar 2026
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Google warns quantum computers could hack encrypted systems by 2029 (www.theguardian.com)
submitted 1 day ago by HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works to c/technology@lemmy.world
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Banks, governments and technology providers need to be prepared for quantum computer hackers capable of breaking most existing encryption systems by 2029, Google has warned.

The tech company said in a blogpost that quantum computers would pose a “significant threat to current cryptographic standards” before the end of the decade and urged other companies to follow its lead.

The company, owned by Alphabet, said: “The encryption currently used to keep your information confidential and secure could easily be broken by a large-scale quantum computer in coming years.”

As it stands, quantum computers – which can rapidly carry out complex tasks – are a nascent technology with great potential and significant obstacles to being widely usable.

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[–] WesternInfidels@feddit.online 8 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I'm probably an idiot. Tell me I'm all wrong about this.

The danger is that quantum computers could factor large products well enough to reverse public keys, finding the associated private keys. Which would indeed be very bad. But this isn't quite a magic key that opens everything.

Public key crypto is used to set up a secure network connection, but it's not used to encrypt the data that flows on that connection. Quantum snooping would require an eavesdropper to intercept every bit on a connection, from initiation onward. And decrypting it would probably not be a real-time affair.

Public key crypto is also not used to protect your typical encrypted zip file or file system volume. Your Bitlocker and Veracrypt secrets aren't about to fall to quantum spies.

I'm bothered that so many popular articles about this issue draw no distinction between the classes of cryptography that are vulnerable and those that are not.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 day ago

It also needs to factor in a threat models. Maybe this is important for governments or giant conglomerates, but an average hacker isn't going to have their hands on a quantum computing rig to just use. Until its use becomes widespread on a consumer level it will be mostly used by corporations and governments. I think it will be a while before a criminal organization has one, but maybe I am wrong.

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