Daily Archives: June 21, 2020

Quantum computing holds the potential to one-day resolve some of the worlds most intricate and pressing conundrums. With the science and technology industry at the forefront of the global battle to defeat COVID-19, for example, it has played a part in discovering viable solutions, not just in the short term but for future pandemics. However, quantum computing is bound to force major changes to the cybersecurity landscape.

Rodney Joffe, SVP, senior technologist and Fellow, Neustar.

While quantum computing is still in its relative stages of infancy, its rapid evolution means it will soon overtake technologies weve previously relied on, including high performance cloud computing.

This is why numerous tech giants such as IBM, Google, Amazon and Microsoft have entered the race to achieve what has been coined quantum supremacy: the competition to build the first fully-functioning and practical quantum computer. Microsoft, for instance, just announced that its quantum computing platform, Azure Quantum, is now available in limited preview.

Advancements such as these, however, have resulted in experts debating how the power of quantum will affect the cybersecurity landscape. Research from the Neustar International Security Council (NISC) recently revealed that almost a quarter of security professionals are already experimenting with quantum computing strategies, worried that it will outpace the development of existing security technologies.

These concerns are, in fact, extremely valid and require urgent action. Looking ahead, laying the foundations for rebuilding our current overarching cybersecurity approach including our algorithms, strategies and systems should be a key priority.

Across our most critical industries, quantum computing has the promise to solve what would have previously been described as unsolvable or existential problems.

When it comes to medical development, it has the potential to simulate how drugs will react. This reduces the risk during the commonly used trial and error method, and saves computational chemists both time and money. Already, researchers at Penn State University have announced that they are exploring how machine learning and quantum physics can be used to discover possible treatments for COVID-19.

In addition, Accenture recently published a paper with biotechnology innovator Biogen, which found that as quantum computers become more available, drug discovery will accelerate significantly, allowing scientists to compare much larger molecules.

Drug discovery is not the only area quantum computing will improve. Much has been reported about the technologys potential to beat climate change in the future. The World Economic Forum recently outlined how, by simulating large complex molecules, it will potentially be able to create new ones for carbon capture.

Whats more, last year, Google and NASA sparked frenzy within the technology community when together they revealed quantum computers hold the capability to compute in three minutes what would usually take supercomputers 10,000 years. While this feat is still years away, it is this level of power that cybersecurity professionals need to begin planning for.

At present, the cybersecurity industry depends on encryption to safeguard devices and personal data. In theory, encryption is possible to crack. In practice, however, it is impossible and would take a colossal amount of time to do so, over timescales of trillions of years.

Cryptography can be categorized in two ways: symmetric and asymmetric cryptography. In symmetric schemes, the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt data. In asymmetric schemes also known as public key there is a publicly shared key for encryption and a private key for decryption. Built on complex mathematical calculations, these are crafted for a fundamental purpose: to be so complicated that they would take classical computers too long and use too much computational power to be solved.

However, encryptions time as a viable solution is limited. Neustars research revealed that nearly three quarters (75%) of cybersecurity professionals expect advances in quantum technology to beat current technologies, such as encryption, within the next five years. Its ability to break encryption techniques such as private key poses a major challenge to the cybersecurity industry. In the wrong hands, it could be used to launch a cyberattack on an unprecedented scale.

Given quantums ability to crack problems weve specifically created to be unsolvable at an unrivaled pace, there is a crucial need to create new public key schemes that are resistant to quantum technology. Even though a quantum computer capable of beating encryption is approximately ten years away, quantum-proof encryption needs to be implemented before then.

Planning for quantum requires a careful consideration of its progress. Luckily, most organisations have quantum computing on their radar. In fact, 74% of cybersecurity professionals have admitted to paying close attention to the technologys development.

Businesses are also required to take note of all encrypted data and make sure it is surrounded by 24/7 monitoring and threat intelligence tools, alongside robust processes. There needs to be a recognition that even though it is impossible for this data to be decrypted currently, advances in quantum computing will mean that it will be vulnerable in future.

The current global pandemic has taught us that we need science and technology more than ever to guide us through challenging times and produce the innovations that will see us benefit in the long run.

The sheer power and uncertainty of quantum should not be viewed negatively in fact, 87% of CISOs, CSOs, CTOs and security directors admitted that they are excited about the potential positive impact it will have. Quantum computing is part of the future, and the cybersecurity industry has to prepare early for its impact if they wish to reap the benefits.

See the article here:

Restructuring cybersecurity with the power of quantum - TechRadar

Earth is not the only planet with an atmosphere that glows green: Astronomers have observed the same ethereal phenomenon on Mars, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The emerald sheen high in the Martian atmosphere was observed by the European Space Agencys Trace Gas Orbiter, which has been circling the Red Planet since 2016. The glow, which astronomers say is triggered by interactions between the suns light and oxygen molecules in Mars atmosphere, could help researchers better understand the composition of the planets atmosphere and how it behaves.

Its also the first time that the distinct green lights have been seen on a planet beyond Earth, according to Jean-Claude Grard, an astronomer at the Universit de Lige in Belgium and lead author of the study. The lights are similar to auroras on Earth, but unlike auroras, Mars' green glow appears as a thin band around the planet.

This emission has been predicted to exist at Mars for around 40 years and, thanks to TGO [the Trace Gas Orbiter], weve found it, Grard said in a statement.

Auroras on Earth the colorful light displays that can be seen at high latitudes occur when charged particles from the sun collide with Earths magnetic field and mix with molecules in the atmosphere. Auroras fluctuate with the suns activity, but Earths green glow is different because the light is continuous albeit faint.

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On Mars, this so-called night glow can be tricky to spot, but Grard and his colleagues were able to observe the lights by pointing one of the instruments aboard the Trace Gas Orbiter directly at the surface of Mars from an edge-on perspective.

From April 24 to Dec. 1, 2019, the astronomers scanned altitudes from about 12 miles to 250 miles above the Martian surface twice each time the spacecraft circled the planet. The researchers were able to detect the green glow at all altitudes, with the strongest emission found at around 50 miles above the surface.

The scientists used these observations to examine what causes the green glow and found that the light comes from oxygen atoms that were stripped from carbon dioxide.

On Earth, the green glow is driven by oxygen atoms in the upper atmosphere interacting with electrons from interplanetary space. These stunning displays are sometimes known as polar auroras.

Like on Mars, the emerald lights in Earths atmosphere can be faint unless seen edge-on, which is why many of the most dramatic views of the phenomenon have come from photos taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station.

Though on both planets the green hue is characteristic of oxygen in the atmosphere, the astronomers noted some differences in the resulting emissions of light.

The observations at Mars agree with previous theoretical models but not with the actual glowing weve spotted around Earth, where the visible emission is far weaker, Grard said. This suggests we have more to learn about how oxygen atoms behave, which is hugely important for our understanding of atomic and quantum physics.

The findings also have important implications for planetary science missions to Mars. Understanding the composition of the Red Planets atmosphere is crucial for operating orbiters around Mars or landing rovers on the surface, because these spacecraft are all affected by the density of the Martian atmosphere.

Predicting changes in atmospheric density is especially important for forthcoming missions, including the ExoMars 2022 mission that will send a rover and surface science platform to explore the surface of the Red Planet, Hkan Svedhem, a Trace Gas Orbiter project scientist at the European Space Agency who was not involved with the new study, said in a statement.

Denise Chow is a reporter for NBC News Science focused on the environment and space.

Read the rest here:

In the atmosphere of Mars, a green glow offers scientists hints for future visits - NBCNews.com