The world needs codes quantum computers can’t break
America’s standards agency thinks it has identified three
QUANTUM COMPUTERS, which exploit strange properties of the subatomic realm to crunch numbers in powerful new ways, do not actually work yet. But if and when they do start working, they will be able to break the cryptographic algorithms that currently protect online communications, financial transactions, medical records and corporate secrets.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Code-switching”
From the August 24th 2024 edition
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The two types of human laugh
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