Quantum computing

Quantum

computing is a type of computation whose operations can harness the

phenomena of quantum mechanics, such as superposition, interference, and

entanglement. Devices that perform quantum computations are known as

quantum computers. Though current quantum computers are too small to

outperform usual (classical) computers for practical applications,

larger realizations are believed to be capable of solving certain

computational problems, such as integer factorization (which underlies

RSA encryption), substantially faster than classical computers.

Today’s quantum

systems only include tens or hundreds of entangled qubits, limiting

them from solving real-world problems. To achieve quantum practicality,

commercial quantum systems need to scale to over a million qubits and

overcome daunting challenges like qubit fragility and software

programmability.

Quantum

computers, if they mature enough, will be able to crack much of

today's encryption. That'll lay bare private communications, company

data and military secrets. Today's quantum computers are too rudimentary

to do so. But data surreptitiously gathered now could still be sensitive

when more powerful quantum computers come online in a few years.

Simple

passwords can be cracked using brute force; this is where an

attacker uses tools that try every possible password until the correct

one is found. This generally done using a dictionary attack, where an

attacker will try known passwords and words until they find the one that

unlocks an account. There are databases available on the internet that

contain personal names as well as dictionary and slang words, in scores

of languages, along with passwords found in data breaches, and

more.

Encryption.

The Advanced

Encryption Standard (AES) specifies a FIPS-approved cryptographic

algorithm that can be used to protect electronic data. The AES algorithm

is a symmetric block cipher that can encrypt (encipher) and decrypt

(decipher) information. Encryption converts data to an unintelligible

form called ciphertext; decrypting the ciphertext converts the data back

into its original form, called plaintext. The AES algorithm is capable

of using cryptographic keys of 128, 192, and 256 bits to encrypt and

decrypt data in blocks of 128 bits.

The National Security Agency (NSA) reviewed all the AES

finalists, including Rijndael, and stated that all of them were secure

enough for U.S. Government non-classified data. In June 2003, the U.S.

Government announced that AES could be used to protect classified

information: For cryptographers, a cryptographic "break" is anything

faster than a brute-force attack – i.e., performing one trial decryption

for each possible key in sequence. A break can thus include results that

are infeasible with current technology. Despite being impractical,

theoretical breaks can sometimes provide insight into vulnerability

patterns. The largest successful publicly known brute-force attack

against a widely implemented block-cipher encryption algorithm was

against a 64-bit RC5 key by distributed.net in 2006.

Password Management.

Bitwarden

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