Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

unhappycamper

(60,364 posts)
Fri Jan 10, 2014, 08:37 AM Jan 2014

NSA: The Quantum Computer Will Spy on the World

http://watchingamerica.com/News/229754/nsa-the-quantum-computer-will-spy-on-the-world/

According to The Washington Post, the National Security Agency is building a machine that will be capable of cracking any security system. This is how it will be done …

NSA: The Quantum Computer Will Spy on the World
Panorama, Italy
By Antonino Caffo
Translated By Emily Fiennes
3 January 2014
Edited by Gillian Palmer

It has been criticized, opposed and accused of invading our privacy, but the NSA still has one quality that is not worth just nothing: its obstinacy. As if it were not enough to have — more or less — the whole world against it, it seems the NSA is now making a concerted effort to take the next step toward control of the planet, via a quantum computer. The Washington Post published this report yesterday, along with several documents from Edward Snowden. According to these documents, the NSA is reported to be in the process of developing a supercomputer that is capable of surpassing any type of computer security system currently in use, including encrypted systems.

According to The Post’s report, the NSA is said to have invested some $80 million in a research project geared toward the construction of "a cryptologically useful quantum computer." The machine will be able to interpret and unlock digital padlocks protecting the data and sensitive information of individuals and businesses around the world. The project mentioned in Snowden’s documents, on which engineers are rumored to be working, is called "Penetrating Hard Targets." It falls under a field of study tasked with finding new solutions and systems for overcoming even the most difficult of computer protection systems, including those using cutting-edge encryption tools.

What is needed, first and foremost, is a system that can do what modern machines do, but in a much shorter time frame. The basic principle underlying quantum computing is a complex one. In the simplest possible terms, we might say that a classical computer uses binary bits, which are either zeroes or ones. A quantum computer makes use of quantum bits, or qubits, which are simultaneously both zero and one. It is based on the idea that an object exists in all states at the same time. The calculation speed can thus be changed. While classic computers can only complete one calculation at a time, quantum computers do not have the same limitations and can test different solutions at the same time.

For The Washington Post, a computer of this kind would not encounter any difficulty in overcoming a range of security systems, including those used by banks, governments, big businesses and private institutions. The NSA has also reported that it is working on a project inside large metal boxes known as Faraday cages, which electromagnetic energy cannot penetrate from the inside or outside. Scientists are thus able to study the behavior of the atoms, photons and electrons, to predict their positioning and, harder still, to direct their movement to facilitate the calculations.
2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
NSA: The Quantum Computer Will Spy on the World (Original Post) unhappycamper Jan 2014 OP
Interesting Shivering Jemmy Jan 2014 #1
1984 - Here We Come cantbeserious Jan 2014 #2
Latest Discussions»Issue Forums»National Security & Defense»NSA: The Quantum Computer...