2. The Context of Cybersecurity: Cyberspace 41 Quantum computing is a paradigm of computation based on qubits. A qubit is a quantum bit, and unlike the discrete bits in classical computing that are equal to either 1 or 0, qubits can contain the entire range of real values between 1 and 0 simultaneously—this is called quantum superposition. This property is due to quantum mechanics, the behavior of atoms and subatomic particles. Scientists have demonstrated that these particles can become entangled, meaning, they can communicate literally instantaneously (not just apparently instantaneously as in the speed of electronic communication) despite being separated by any amount of distance. The goal of quantum computing is to harness these mysterious properties to perform certain types of calculations quickly that are intractable with classical computers. Algorithms have been devised on paper that show how these qubit computations would work. These calculations have tremendous value, therefore, much research is being performed in this field. To date, while progress has been made, no practical applications have yet been achieved. There is ongoing debate over how long it will take to produce a quantum computer of the scale needed to produce real-world value, and some maintain that it is a fool’s errand and will never happen. Even if quantum computers are produced, they will not replace classical computers. Different types of algorithmic problems are better suited to one computing paradigm than the other. In terms of cybersecurity, quantum computing has important ramifications for cryptography, the bedrock of cybersecurity (see Chapter 7). The main encryption algorithm responsible for securing Internet communication can theoretically be broken with a quantum computer. Without secure encryption, the Internet as we know it cannot exist. For this reason, research into quantum-resistant cryptography is ongoing, and the hope is that new algorithms will be developed and implemented before quantum computing is realized. 2.6 Conclusion This short primer has covered a massive amount of cyberspace terrain! It is important because cyberspace is the context of cybersecurity. We need to know the basics of how computers and the Internet work if we have any hope of securing cyberspace. The biggest takeaway from this chapter is that computers leverage Boolean logic and binary encoding at mind-boggling speeds and scale together with highly engineered layers upon layers of encapsulation and abstraction to accomplish feats of seeming magic. They are incredibly simple but at the same time amazingly complex. In this complexity lurk innumerable cybersecurity weaknesses. The Internet is a connected graph of machines that send signals to and from one another across distances, again, at incomprehensible speeds. Computers communicate using well-defined protocols. Fundamental communication problems, such as signal processing, addressing, and transmission reliability, are encapsulated within neatly defined
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