Light on the shadows of quantum computers

By Vera Haberfellner - The international world of IT, among them researchers from TU Graz, are discussing new cryptographic solutions for the approaching age of quantum computing at a conference in Florida from 11th to 13th April. Talk of data security is all-pervading these days. Especially when coarse IT security loopholes are made public - like Meltdown or Spectre at the beginning of the year or in the current affair surrounding Cambridge Analytica and Facebook. In the approaching age of quantum computing, which will take advantage of the laws of quantum physics to compute umpteen times faster than current computers, the question of security takes on a completely new dimension. Researchers from all over the world are devoting themselves to this topic of the future from 11th to 13th April at the First PQC (post-quantum cryptography) Standardization Conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This conference is a run-up to the standardisation process which will take place over many years. TU Graz's Institute of Applied Information Processing and Communication Technology is also represented at the conference with two standardisation proposals concerning quantum-computing-secure algorithms for digital signatures: one of them is in the team with Princeton University and Microsoft and one with TU Eindhoven.