• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Metals
    • Precious Metals
    • Copper Alloys
      • Bronze & Brass
      • Master Alloys
  • ITAD
    • What is ITAD?
    • IT Inventory Services
    • ITAD Programs
      • Data Center Services
      • On-Site ITAD Services
      • Box Program
      • ITAD Processing Facilities
    • IT Asset Recycling
    • IT Asset Remarketing
    • Secure Data Destruction
      • Secure Data Wiping
      • Shredding and Crushing
      • Degaussing
      • FIREMELT™
    • Reporting
  • Secure Destruction
  • About
    • Why work with Sipi?
    • Certifications
    • Leadership
    • Coverage Map
    • Our Markets
    • Careers
    • ITAD White Papers and Case Studies
    • News
    • Events
  • Blog
  • Contact
    • Locations

Sipi

blog

Home / Blog / Data security and quantum computing: Part 1

Data security and quantum computing: Part 1

Data security is at the forefront of IT asset management and disposition, at every step in the lifecycle. Data must be protected while it’s actively in use as a part of IT inventory all the way to its end-of-life, whether that means remarketing, recycling, or destruction. We’ve talked before about how the ITAD industry (and the IT asset industry in general) is in a state of constant change. 2019 is no different and is already likely to usher in new standards for data sanitization and the first wave of high-capacity drives in mainstream use.

But perhaps no change will affect the future of, and practices around, data security more than the advent of quantum computing.

What is quantum computing?

Like a problem that classical computers are unable to solve, it’s incredibly challenging to sum up such a complicated topic and question into everyday language. However, getting a basic understanding of the underlying principles helps to display how important this technological revelation will be to the future of data security.

IBM Quantum Computing Depositphotos_218342084_l-2015IBM describes universal quantum computers as leveraging quantum mechanical phenomena to create states of superposition and entanglement that scale exponentially with number of qubits (quantum bits)

That’s a bit of a mouthful! To illustrate the difference a bit more simply, Bernard Marr, a technology advisor writing in Forbes, suggests that one imagine a sphere. The “bit” you’re familiar with today — you know, 0 or 1, as current computing models use — would be at either of the two poles of the sphere. A quantum bit (or qubit, as would be used by a quantum computer) could exist at any point on the sphere. This means a quantum computer using qubits could store a huge amount of information with massive processing power compared to current computers.

What does this have to do with data security?

To better explain how quantum computing could affect the future of data security, we once again must look at some complicated concepts — namely Shor’s algorithm and Grover’s algorithm.

Shor’s algorithm, developed in 1994 by mathematician Peter Shor, is a quantum computer algorithm. It’s designed to factor large integers — and theoretically could be used to break asymmetric public-key cryptopgraphy schemes (or more familiarly, a widely used example of this is RSA encryption). Of course, that would require a quantum computer powerful enough to do so.

Grover’s algorithm, developed by Lov Grover in 1996, is another quantum algorithm. With an appropriately powerful quantum computer, this algorithm could theoretically be used to break symmetric encryption schemes such as AES (e.g., AES-128, AES-256, etc.). If this sounds familiar also, that’s because it’s widely used for data security — an example use would be encrypting data held on IT assets such as SSDs.

In other words — computers capable of executing these steps could, in theory, crack through current methods of encryption.

What’s next?

In our next blog, we’ll be covering what’s being done for the future of encryption “post-quantum,” the realistic outlook for post-quantum data security, and why action is being taken now.

How can Sipi help you? We’re ready to listen

Footer

Sipi Metals Corp.
1720 N. Elston Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60642-1579
(800) 621-8013
(773) 276-0070
sales@sipi-metals.com
hr@sipi-metals.com for Recruiting, Legal
or Human Resource Questions

Sipi Asset Recovery
1300 W.N. Thorndale Avenue
Elk Grove Village, Illinois 60007
(847) 750-9350
sales@sipiAR.com

    

© 2022 SIPI METALS CORP  /  PRIVACY POLICY

HOME

ABOUT

CERTIFICATIONS

RESOURCES

COMMUNITY

CAREERS

CONTACT US

PRECIOUS METALS

COPPER ALLOYS

IT ASSET DISPOSITION

SECURE DESTRUCTION

NEWS

ITAD BLOG

COMPANY HISTORY

Sipi Corp Logo

CONTACT US

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Sipi Asset Recovery values your trust - data security is in the heart of what we do. By clicking below, you are providing consent for Sipi to securely store your data so we can respond to your request. For more information on how we protect your data, see our Privacy Policy. We look forward to getting in touch!
Sipi Asset Recovery values your trust - data security is in the heart of what we do. By clicking below, you are providing consent for Sipi to securely store your data so we can respond to your request. For more information on how we protect your data, see our Privacy Policy. We look forward to getting in touch!
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Hidden
GDPR Agreement*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
GDPR Agreement*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*
Hidden
GDPR Agreement*
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.