Cloud Hosting

Theres a lingering fear among crypto investors that their bitcoin might get swooped by a hacker.

Thats not very likely, but its not impossible either, particularly once quantum computing gets into the wrong hands. Last year Googles quantum computer called Sycamore was given a puzzle that would take even the most powerful supercomputers 10 000 years to solve and completed it in just 200 seconds, according to Nature magazine.

That kind of processing power unleashed on the bitcoin blockchain which is a heavily encrypted ledger of all bitcoin transactions is a cause for concern.

Read:

The encryption technology used by the bitcoin blockchain has proven itself robust enough to withstand any and all attacks. Thats because of its brilliant design, and ongoing improvements by an ever-growing community of open-source cryptographers and developers.

A report by research group Gartner (Hype Cycle for Blockchain Technologies, 2020) suggests blockchain researchers are already anticipating possible attacks by quantum computers that are perhaps five to 10 years away from commercial availability. Its a subject called Postquantum blockchain which is a form of blockchain technology using quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms that can resist attack by future quantum computers.

The good news is that quantum-resistant algorithms are likely to remain several steps ahead of the hackers, but its an issue that is drawing considerable attention in the financial, security and blockchain communities.

Postquantum cryptography is not a threat just yet, but crypto exchanges are going to have to deploy quantum-resistant technologies in the next few years, before quantum computers become generally available.

Phishing is probably a bigger threat

In truth, youre far more likely to be hit by a phishing scam, where identity thieves use emails, text messages and fake websites to get you to divulge sensitive personal information such as bank account or crypto exchange passwords.

As a user, you should be using LastPass or similar software to generate complex passwords, along with two-factor authentication (requiring the input of a time-sensitive code before you can access your crypto exchange account).Most good exchanges are enabled for this level of security.

There are many sad stories of bitcoin theft, but these are usually as a result of weak security on the part of the bitcoin holder, much like leaving your wallet on the front seat of your car while you pop into the shop for a minute.

Like all tech breakthroughs, quantum computing can be used for good and bad.

On the plus side, it will vastly speed drug discovery, molecular modelling and code breaking. It will also be a gift to hackers and online thieves, which is why financial services companies are going to have to invest in defensive technologies to keep customer information and assets safe.

Most crypto exchanges invest substantial amounts in security. The vast majority of crypto assets (about 97%) are stored in encrypted, geographically-separated, offline storage. These cannot be hacked.

The risk emerges when bitcoin are moved from offline (or cold storage) to online, such as when a client is about to transact.

But even here, the level of security is usually robust. A further level of protection is the insurance of all bitcoin that are stored in online systems. They also have systems in place to prevent any employee from making off with clients assets, requiring multiple keys before a bitcoin transaction is authorised.

There have been hacks on crypto exchanges in the past (though not on the blockchain itself), and millions of dollars in crypto assets stolen. In more recent years, this has become less common as exchanges moved to beef up their security systems.

In 2014 Mt.Gox, at the time responsible for about 70% of all bitcoin transactions in the world, suffered an attack when roughly 800000 bitcoin, valued at $460 million, were stolen. In 2018, Japan-based crypto exchange Coincheck was hit with a $534 million fraud impacting 260000 investors.

As the value of bitcoin and other crypto assets increases, the incentive for hackers rises proportionately, which is why problems such as quantum-enabled thievery are already being addressed.

Read:Moneyweb Crypto glossary

Original post:
Is the blockchain vulnerable to hacking by quantum computers? - Moneyweb.co.za

In a new realm of materials, PhD student Thanh Nguyen uses neutrons to hunt for exotic properties that could power real-world applications.

Thanh Nguyen is in the habit of breaking down barriers. Take languages, for instance: Nguyen, a third-year doctoral candidate in nuclear science and engineering (NSE), wanted to connect with other people and cultures for his work and social life, he says, so he learned Vietnamese, French, German, and Russian, and is now taking an MIT course in Mandarin. But this drive to push past obstacles really comes to the fore in his research, where Nguyen is trying to crack the secrets of a new and burgeoning branch of physics.

My dissertation focuses on neutron scattering on topological semimetals, which were only experimentally discovered in 2015, he says. They have very special properties, but because they are so novel, theres a lot thats unknown, and neutrons offer a unique perspective to probe their properties at a new level of clarity.

Topological materials dont fit neatly into conventional categories of substances found in everyday life. They were first materialized in the 1980s, but only became practical in the mid-2000s with deepened understanding of topology, which concerns itself with geometric objects whose properties remain the same even when the objects undergo extreme deformation. Researchers experimentally discovered topological materials even more recently, using the tools of quantum physics.

Within this domain, topological semimetals, which share qualities of both metals and semiconductors, are of special interest to Nguyen.They offer high levels of thermal and electric conductivity, and inherent robustness, which makes them very promising for applications in microelectronics, energy conversions, and quantum computing, he says.

Intrigued by the possibilities that might emerge from such unconventional physics, Nguyen is pursuing two related but distinct areas of research: On the one hand, Im trying to identify and then synthesize new, robust topological semimetals, and on the other, I want to detect fundamental new physics with neutrons and further design new devices.

My goal is to create programmable artificial structured topological materials, which can directly be applied as a quantum computer, says Thanh Nguyen. Credit: Gretchen Ertl

Reaching these goals over the next few years might seem a tall order. But at MIT, Nguyen has seized every opportunity to master the specialized techniques required for conducting large-scale experiments with topological materials, and getting results. Guided by his advisor,Mingda Li, the Norman C Rasmussen Assistant Professor and director of theQuantum Matter Groupwithin NSE, Nguyen was able to dive into significant research even before he set foot on campus.

The summer, before I joined the group, Mingda sent me on a trip to Argonne National Laboratory for a very fun experiment that used synchrotron X-ray scattering to characterize topological materials, recalls Nguyen. Learning the techniques got me fascinated in the field, and I started to see my future.

During his first two years of graduate school, he participated in four studies, serving as a lead author in three journal papers. In one notable project,described earlier this yearinPhysical Review Letters, Nguyen and fellow Quantum Matter Group researchers demonstrated, through experiments conducted at three national laboratories, unexpected phenomena involving the way electrons move through a topological semimetal, tantalum phosphide (TaP).

These materials inherently withstand perturbations such as heat and disorders, and can conduct electricity with a level of robustness, says Nguyen. With robust properties like this, certain materials can conductivity electricity better than best metals, and in some circumstances superconductors which is an improvement over current generation materials.

This discovery opens the door to topological quantum computing. Current quantum computing systems, where the elemental units of calculation are qubits that perform superfast calculations, require superconducting materials that only function in extremely cold conditions. Fluctuations in heat can throw one of these systems out of whack.

The properties inherent to materials such as TaP could form the basis of future qubits, says Nguyen. He envisions synthesizing TaP and other topological semimetals a process involving the delicate cultivation of these crystalline structures and then characterizing their structural and excitational properties with the help of neutron and X-ray beam technology, which probe these materials at the atomic level. This would enable him to identify and deploy the right materials for specific applications.

My goal is to create programmable artificial structured topological materials, which can directly be applied as a quantum computer, says Nguyen. With infinitely better heat management, these quantum computing systems and devices could prove to be incredibly energy efficient.

Energy efficiency and its benefits have long concerned Nguyen. A native of Montreal, Quebec, with an aptitude for math and physics and a concern for climate change, he devoted his final year of high school to environmental studies. I worked on a Montreal initiative to reduce heat islands in the city by creating more urban parks, he says. Climate change mattered to me, and I wanted to make an impact.

At McGill University, he majored in physics. I became fascinated by problems in the field, but I also felt I could eventually apply what I learned to fulfill my goals of protecting the environment, he says.

In both classes and research, Nguyen immersed himself in different domains of physics. He worked for two years in a high-energy physics lab making detectors for neutrinos, part of a much larger collaboration seeking to verify the Standard Model. In the fall of his senior year at McGill, Nguyens interest gravitated toward condensed matter studies. I really enjoyed the interplay between physics and chemistry in this area, and especially liked exploring questions in superconductivity, which seemed to have many important applications, he says. That spring, seeking to add useful skills to his research repertoire, he worked at Ontarios Chalk River Laboratories, where he learned to characterize materials using neutron spectroscopes and other tools.

These academic and practical experiences served to propel Nguyen toward his current course of graduate study. Mingda Li proposed an interesting research plan, and although I didnt know much about topological materials, I knew they had recently been discovered, and I was excited to enter the field, he says.

Nguyen has mapped out the remaining years of his doctoral program, and they will prove demanding. Topological semimetals are difficult to work with, he says. We dont yet know the optimal conditions for synthesizing them, and we need to make these crystals, which are micrometers in scale, in quantities large enough to permit testing.

With the right materials in hand, he hopes to develop a qubit structure that isnt so vulnerable to perturbations, quickly advancing the field of quantum computing so that calculations that now take years might require just minutes or seconds, he says. Vastly higher computational speeds could have enormous impacts on problems like climate, or health, or finance that have important ramifications for society. If his research on topological materials benefits the planet or improves how people live, says Nguyen, I would be totally happy.

Visit link:
Cracking the Secrets of an Emerging Branch of Physics: Exotic Properties to Power Real-World Applications - SciTechDaily

The role of technology both in the economy and in education in our private lives has been accelerated by what's happening under the pandemic, Tom Hanson said during the virtual Rosenmeier Forum on Thursday, Nov. 19. In general terms the pandemic is, I believe, an accelerator for what's happening in the world today.

The notion geopolitical forces are evolving quickly is particularly evident, Hanson said, especially to someone with his expertise and breadth of experience. Hanson is a former foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State, currently serving as a diplomat in residence at the Alworth Institute at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. He opened embassies abroad and served as director for NATO and European Affairs at the Atlantic Council in Washington, D.C. Hanson shared insights Thursday into the 2020 election and U.S. foreign policy in a virtual forum sponsored by the Gordon Rosenmeier Center for State and Local Government at Central Lakes College.

Where does the United States stand after four years of President Donald Trump? And, with the coming inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden himself, an old hand at politics with decades of experience on Capitol Hill and a chief executive who looks to be a continuation of the Obama era in which he had a key role as vice president what does that mean for the United States place in the world going forward?

The short of it? Its a mixed bag, Hanson said, with some certainties based on Bidens extensive record and known associates likely to populate his cabinet, while the emergence of China a strong and aggressive player on the world stage means the geopolitical landscape is far different, and far more concerning, than it was even three years ago.

Worsening relations between the Peoples Republic of China and the United States has only intensified during the coronavirus pandemic. Trade wars and Cold War-style confrontations over the South China Sea were common before the advent of COVID-19, Hanson said. Now the pandemic has added new dimensions to the growing conflict everything from charged propagandistic campaigns on both sides, to brutal negotiations over pandemic supply lines, to accusations of incompetence by leadership in both Washington, D.C., and Beijing.

But while the United States and China have soured in their opinions of each other, the worlds opinion of these two has also proven to be less than desirable. Currently, according to recent polling by Pew Research, the United States is seen as a volatile, unpredictable and incomepetent nation-state with its response to COVID-19. Positive outlooks of the U.S. stand at a paltry 15% globally, while China is barely better at 19%.

Some of this can be blamed on Trumps unorthodox tenure in office, Hanson said, but more it speaks to the polarized nature of American politics. The world sees the United States as a country seesawing between order and disorder, capable of cooperating with and sabotaging its allies with equal frequency.

This is independent of any particular president, Hanson said. It's rather the oscillation between presidents in the U.S., where a sense of unpredictability is starting to settle in around the world because of our polarization.

What foreign policy experts are seeing is the world may not be the polar dichotomy between East and West as it largely has been since the end of World War II, but a much more fragmented landscape divided along regional lines. Where once the world was divided into First World, Second World and Third World countries, Hanson noted, now it may be the geopolitical landscape of North America vs. South America, China vs. India, or western Europe pitted against eastern Europe and Russia, so on and so forth.

The world we created in 1945 depends on us, to a great extent, to back it up, Hanson said. Well, if the U.S. pulls back, and China does not step up, you're into a different phase. And books are coming out now about this referring to the situation as a nonpolar world or nobody's world, or a G minus two. And so this is adding to a trend toward regionalization, toward regional actors, including our own allies beginning to take a look at their own interests and beginning to act more independently.

The key question going forward is whether the United States will be able to counter Chinas growing influence in the technological world. Where China has been successful with highly centralized, state-controlled companies like Huawei or ByteDance (TikTok) thats enabled it to make great strides in 5G or quantum computer technology, the United States has been hamstrung by independent and profit-driven firms like Google or Microsoft.

Does that mean the federal government needs to take a stronger role in the technological field? Maybe so, Hanson said, but its widely acknowledged among many of the U.S.s allies that China, no longer the United States, is the leader in economic development.

The key aspects of our interaction with China especially the reason there's tension with China there are many secondary reasons, but the primary reason is technology, Hanson said. There's a bipartisan view in Washington now that China is starting to outstrip us in the key technologies in the future.

See the original post:
Foreign policy expert: China is 'outstripping us' in technologies of the future - Brainerd Dispatch