Quantum computing could potentially break current encryption methods, leading to a surge in research into quantum-safe cryptography, but will they in our lifetimes? Or is the current concern about quantum computing, like the chimera, a myth?
Organizations are preparing for post-quantum cryptography to protect their data from future quantum-powered attacks. But quantum computers take an enormous amount of power to perform the expected tasks. A lot needs to be done in the electrical grid before that will ever happen.
Lou Covey, chief editor of Cyber Protection Magazine, thinks we need to take a beat before we allow fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) to drive our decisions has his doubts. And it isn’t just about power needs for quantum decryption.
Socioeconomic factors come into play, including whether the nation-states most likely to deploy systems for malignant purposes will be in existence by the time the technology is available. The sheer cost to produce a quantum computer powerful enough to do the job is daunting.
All this demonstrates how the cybersecurity industry’s reliance on FUD for marketing policy may have run its course and something else… like maybe truth, is a better direction.
Lou Covey is the Chief Editor for Cyber Protection Magazine. In 50 years as a journalist he covered American politics, education, religious history, women’s fashion, music, marketing technology, renewable energy, semiconductors, avionics. He is currently focused on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. He published a book on renewable energy policy in 2020 and is writing a second one on technology aptitude. He hosts the Crucial Tech podcast.