Quantum computers could solve certain problems that would take traditional classical computers an impractically long time to solve. At the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), researchers are now working to make these systems reliable and trustworthy.
Unlike classical computers that process information in binary digits (bits) as either 0 or 1, quantum computers use quantum bits or “qubits” that can represent both 0 and 1 simultaneously, enabling dramatic speedups in computations for specific problems.
The potential applications of quantum computing are wide-ranging. These include factoring large numbers that could break today’s encryption, optimizing complex industrial processes, accelerating drug discovery, and supporting advances in artificial intelligence (AI).
Researchers have developed a technology to invisibly transmit information disguised as background thermal radiation. Using a phenomenon called “negative light,” they transferred 100 kilobits of data per second in a way that was completely undetectable to outside observers.
Most methods for concealing data during transfer involve hiding it among other data or encrypting it in a way that makes it impossible to read without a cipher or other means of decryption. The new technique, by contrast, makes the data almost impossible to intercept because there’s no indication it’s being sent at all. It can also be encrypted through traditional means to further harden security, the team wrote in a paper published March 5 in the journal Light: Science & Applications.
Bitwarden announced support for logging into Windows 11 devices using passkeys stored in the manager’s vault, enabling phishing-resistant authentication.
The new feature is available for all plans, including the free tier, and allows logging into Windows by selecting the security key option and scanning a QR code with a mobile device to confirm access to the passkey stored in the Bitwarden encrypted vault.
Bitwarden is an open-source password and secrets manager that can store account passwords, passkeys, API keys, credit card details, identity data, and private notes.
By Chuck Brooks and Bill Bowers.
Every time you send a text, pay for groceries with your phone, or use your health site, you are relying on encryption. It’s an invisible shield that protects your data from prying eyes. Encryption is more than just a technological protection; it is the basis for digital trust.
Encryption is more than just safeguarding data; it is also about protecting people. It helps ensure privacy by protecting persons from spying and exploitation. And it is widely adopted to help ensure digital transaction security. For National Security it serves to protect key infrastructure and government communications. And it has a human rights function by providing citizens with peace of mind by ensuring the safety of their personal information. In places where surveillance is widespread, encryption can even defend free expression and opposition. It is a human right in this digital age.
In my book Inside Cyber: How AI, 5G, IoT, and Quantum Computing Will Transform Privacy and Security, I referred to encryption as the “linchpin of privacy and commerce in a connected society.” Without it, the digital economy would crumble under the strain of criminality, fraud, and spying.
Something once thought too delicate for real cities just survived them. A quiet test in Germany hints that the next internet may be both unbreakable and already under our feet.
On a 30-kilometer loop of commercial fiber in Berlin, researchers just teleported data while ordinary internet traffic flowed on the same line without a hiccup. The feat, executed by T-Labs with Qunnect’s Carina platform, kept delicate quantum states steady against city vibrations and temperature swings, hitting 95 percent fidelity in real time. It shows that today’s networks can carry tomorrow’s quantum links, with stakes that range from unbreakable cryptography to connected quantum computers. For Deutsche Telekom’s Abdu Mudesir, it also signals a path to European technological sovereignty as the system scales to longer distances and more nodes.
