UK cyber spy chief says: quantum computing is closer but beware the risk

Britain's top cyber spy said on Friday that quantum computing was coming closer but that it posed a potential risk as adversaries could use such computing power to breach modern encryption and potentially look backwards to steal secrets.

Britain's top cyber spy said on Friday that quantum computing was coming closer but that it posed a potential risk as adversaries could use such computing power to breach modern encryption and potentially look backwards to steal secrets. "Quantum computing is coming closer - its still some way off depending on who you talk to," GCHQ Director Jeremy Fleming said after a lecture at Imperial College London.

He added that there were both opportunities and risks from quantum computers - which use the phenomena of quantum mechanics to deliver a leap forward in computation. "That means we need to get ahead of the curve - we need to be designing quantum-resistant algorithms, we need to be designing quantum-proof cyber security approaches such that we're prepared for the future when it comes but so we're also prepared for those adversaries who might use a quantum computer to look back at things that we currently think are secure."