Six years ago, hackers linked to China, breached the US Office of Personnel Management and took sensitive information about millions of federal employees and contractors. The information collected was the kind of data used for security clearances and background checks, extremely personal. Even with the obvious missteps by the OPM security setup, some of the data was encrypted and useless to attackers.
“It’s only a matter of time.” John Prisco, CEO of Quantum Xchange says the risk is higher than ever. Speaking at the EmTech Future Compute event last week, Prisco said China’s aggressive pursuit to quantum computing is a “harvest today, read tomorrow” mentality and they will eventually figure out a way to access the data, maybe not now, but certainly in the near future.
China continues to spend ten times what the US spends in quantum computer research. This research includes massive investments towards the development of quantum key distribution or QKD. In fact, China has built a 1,263 mile link between Beijing and Shanghai to deliver quantum keys. Prisco added, “It’s a lot like the space race. We really can’t afford to come in second place.”
Read the full MIT Review: China is beating the US when it comes to quantum security