Communications of the ACM
A Police Woman Fights Quantum Hacking and Cracking
"My basic research helps us better plan for the future when quantum computing is a reality," says Julia Kempe of Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik School of Computer Science.
Credit: Flickr
Quantum computing will give people and institutions an enormous amount of computing power, but it will also make their data vulnerable to attack. For Julia Kempe of Tel Aviv University's Blavatnik School of Computer Science, now is the time to think about building systems that could withstand a quantum attack.
Kempe says it is only a matter of time before quantum computers become as powerful as physicists and mathematicians expect, which means they would be able to break current encryption standards. "If a very rich person worked secretly to fund the building of a quantum computer, there is no reason in principle that it couldn't be used for malevolent power within the next decade," Kempe says. "Governments, large corporations, entrepreneurs, and common everyday people will have no ability to protect themselves."
Kempe is designing algorithms for quantum computers in an effort to learn about their limitations, as well as future programs that would protect their data.
From American Friends of Tel Aviv University
View Full Article
Abstracts Copyright © 2009 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA 
No entries found