-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php?f=1622 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG/MacGPG2 v2.0.22 (Darwin) Comment: Using GnuPG with Thunderbird - http://www.enigmail.net/
iQEcBAEBAgAGBQJSxpOBAAoJEI5Fi4bvh9Hg7FIH/j1PBPKkZxdk39E+VpDubSDw Ee3IlgkzWWecFCiWalGlIqys2jEbVE67cTFNpglE7p0UDIH56jFl8WeBk++YRbFt F++V/er+0XPxFS0Aj1VzWsRkhjzXoVaNPwyf0CmRNjF/TldLf2MMcMqcSWgQHtam +CcPMGnllu7IbCOHKPeymgcNivsckCyY9vw88FjSyYx1l6nfJEMY4L+q1vGvEo9H 3ds/S3Ds/d6YlwlzdV6u4vziIPuALPE81lBuXILt4xgzUnRFRZMPWDe1bwkoo/uS uRi5jRluM1fahoL+voQJrAR2PpLrtJ2mq1IE+MhQEZdWTX6sbCJx5YMZ9KYU9dQ= =OZSI -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- On Fri, Jan 3, 2014 at 1:41 AM, Jim Bell <[email protected]> wrote: > > http://news.yahoo.com/nsa-eyes-encryption-breaking-39-quantum-39-machine-225306575.html > > Washington (AFP) - The US National Security Agency is making strides toward > building a "quantum computer" that could break nearly any kind of > encryption, The Washington Post reported Thursday. > > Related Stories > > The NSA Is Trying to Build a Quantum Computer The Atlantic Wire > NSA leaker: 'Mission's already accomplished' Associated Press > NSA, UK agency 'targeted Israel PM, EU officials' Associated Press > Amnesty for Edward Snowden? Might depend on what secrets he's got left > Christian Science Monitor > Israel plays down importance of alleged spying by U.S. and UK Reuters > > The Post said leaked documents from fugitive ex-NSA contractor Edward > Snowden indicate the computer would allow the secret intelligence agency to > break encryption used to protect banking, medical, business and government > records around the world. > Quantum computing has been a goal among commercial firms such as IBM because > it could harness the power of atoms and molecules, vastly increasing speed > and security of computers and other devices. > But experts cited by the newspaper said it was unlikely that the NSA would > be close to creating such a machine without the scientific community being > aware of it. > "It seems improbable that the NSA could be that far ahead of the open world > without anybody knowing it," Scott Aaronson of the Massachusetts Institute > of Technology told the daily. > The NSA declined to comment on the report. > The Post said the leaked documents indicate that the agency carries out > research in large, shielded rooms known as Faraday cages designed to prevent > electromagnetic energy from entering or exiting. > Because of its vast computing power, a working quantum computer would break > the strongest encryption tools in use today for online activities, including > banking and emails. > Some technology firms such as Google and Yahoo have said in recent weeks > that they were stepping up efforts to encrypt their communications following > reports that the NSA had been able to break or circumvent many of the > current encryption standards. > A September report by The New York Times, ProPublica and The Guardian, also > based on leaked documents, said US and British spy agencies are able to > decipher data even with the supposedly secure encryption to make it private. > The documents indicated that the NSA, working with its British counterpart > GCHQ, accomplished the feat by using supercomputers, court orders and some > cooperation from technology companies. > If the reports are accurate, the highly secretive program would defeat much > of what is used to keep data secure and private on the Internet, from emails > to chats to communications using smartphones. > IBM researchers said last year they had made advances in quantum computing > that has the potential to outperform any existing supercomputer. > The new type of computing uses information encoded into quantum bits or > qubits, putting into use a theory that scientists have been discussing for > decades. > Quantum computing expands on the most basic piece of information that a > typical computer understands -- a bit, and thereby can perform millions of > calculations at once.
