The rapid rise of quantum computing hints at the possibility of our current cybersecurity systems and technology systems collapsing or breaking the internet.
Imagine waking up one morning to find that every digital system you depend on has failed.
Your bank account is inaccessible. Your private messages are public. Government databases have been breached. Even secure websites no longer recognise “secure connections.” This is not a scene from a science fiction film. It is a very real possibility in the coming decades, brought about by the rapid rise of quantum computing.
The Foundation of Today’s Digital World
Every digital service we use today, from online banking and WhatsApp to cloud storage and e-governance platforms relies on one invisible foundation- ENCRYPTION!
Encryption is the process of turning information into secret code so that only authorised people can read it. It keeps your debit/ credit card details safe, protects your WhatsApp messages, and ensures that when you visit a website with “https,” no one else can see your activity.
The reason encryption works is simple: it’s built on mathematics that are incredibly hard for normal computers to solve.
For example, multiplying two very large numbers is easy. But if someone gives you the result and asks you to find the two original numbers, that’s practically impossible for today’s computers.
This “mathematical hardness” is what keeps our data secure or at least, it used to.
Enter Quantum Computing
Quantum computing doesn’t just make computers faster; it changes what they are capable of doing.
While classical computers use bits which can be either a 0 or a 1, quantum computers use qubits, which can be both 0 and 1 at the same time. This strange property of quantum physics, known as superposition, allows quantum computers to explore millions of possibilities at once.
In simple terms, a quantum computer can do in minutes what might take today’s fastest supercomputers millions of years.
The Algorithm That Could Break the Internet
In the 1990s, mathematician Peter Shor developed a quantum algorithm now known as Shor’s Algorithm that can efficiently solve the very math problems that keep encryption safe.
Once quantum computers become powerful enough, Shor’s Algorithm could easily crack the systems that protect most of the world’s data including RSA and ECC encryption, which secure your bank transactions, online passwords, and government databases.
If that happens, our current cybersecurity systems will effectively collapse overnight.
The Domino Effect on the Tech World
The implications go far beyond “hacked passwords.”
If quantum computers can break today’s encryption, then:
- Banks and financial institutions could lose control over digital transactions.
- Secure messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal would no longer be private.
- Cloud storage systems could be accessed by anyone with a powerful enough machine.
- Digital certificates that authenticate websites and software would be meaningless.
In short, the very trust that keeps the digital world running would vanish.
This wouldn’t just be a cybersecurity problem; it would be a systemic crisis affecting the global economy, communication, and governance.
Are We Doomed? Not Quite.
The good news is that the world has recognised this threat early.
Quantum computers powerful enough to break modern encryption don’t yet exist. Most experts estimate that we are still 10 to 20 years away from that point. However, the race to prepare for that future has already begun.
Researchers are developing new types of encryption known as Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), algorithms designed to resist attacks even from quantum computers.
In 2024, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalised new quantum-safe encryption standards, including CRYSTALS-Kyber for data encryption and CRYSTALS-Dilithium for digital signatures. Governments, tech companies, and cybersecurity firms around the world are now planning to migrate to these systems.
The Urgency of Transition
Although the quantum threat may still be years away, the danger is that data encrypted today could be stolen now and decrypted later when quantum computers become powerful enough, a tactic known as “harvest now, decrypt later.”
This means governments, corporations, and even individuals must start adopting quantum-safe encryption well before the first major quantum computer becomes operational.
It’s not just about protecting the future- it’s about protecting the present.
The Quantum Age: Collapse and Rebirth
Yes, quantum computing has the potential to collapse existing cybersecurity and digital systems as we know them. But it also offers the opportunity to rebuild them stronger.
This technological leap could usher in a new era of computing, medicine, climate modeling, and AI, while forcing humanity to rethink how we secure our digital world.
The quantum age will likely destroy the old systems, but in doing so, it will push us to create a new foundation of digital trust, one built for the future.
The storm is coming. The only question that remains is: will we be ready when it hits?
Er. Atoba Longkumer