Snowden Reveals NSA’s Classified Quantum Computing Project

The US National Security Agency (NSA) is building a quantum computer that has the potential to break all popular cryptographic algorithms, as well as create completely new types of encryption.

Quantum computers can theoretically solve complex problems massively faster than conventional systems, and the NSA has a $79.7 million (£48.5m) research programme called “Penetrating Hard Targets” to try and develop one, according to classified documents supplied by Edward Snowden and published by the Washington Post. It is not clear whether the NSA laboratories are ahead of the results achieved by the wider scientific community – or anywhere near providing practical quantum computing at all.

Even before Snowden first disclosed details of the US agency’s surveillance practices, encryption was already used by businesses and individuals that wished to keep their communications private. However theoretical it is at present, the NSA’s project could one day render these efforts pointless.

Yahoo recently announced it would introduce encryption across all of its products and services by March 2014. Microsoft is reportedly considering a similar move. Google had started securing its information a while ago, but the adoption of encryption measures was accelerated after the start of the NSA scandal.

Be very afraid

Quantum computers interact with information using quantum bits or ‘qubits’, which can mean both ‘1’ and’0’ simultaneously. These machines can therefore process multiple inputs at the same time – effectively in parallel universes – and determine the right answer to problems which have a huge numbers of possible solutions, as long as their qubits can be kept in a coherent state, isolated from the outside world.

These properties are especially useful in cryptography, AI development and high performance computing, where quantum computers can solve certain problems much faster than conventional machines.

The NSA has been accused of indiscriminately collecting phone records and online communications in various countries around the world, and the debate about whether its spying on US citizens could be considered unconstitutional is still raging on.

Ownership of a quantum computer would allow the agency to use the ‘brute force’ approach to crack conventional encryption methods, breaching the last line of defence against excessive surveillance.

According to the Washington Post, contracts related to the “Penetrating Hard Targets” programme are classified and all work is conducted in a purpose-built laboratory featuring large Faraday cages – enclosures designed to block external electric fields.

“The application of quantum technologies to encryption algorithms threatens to dramatically impact the US government’s ability to both protect its communications and eavesdrop on the communications of foreign governments,” said an internal memo leaked by Snowden.

While there’s some concern about the programme, no company has managed to build a fully operational, large-scale quantum computer yet.

So far, the most successful attempt at creating such a device has been made by D-Wave, the first and only commercial quantum computer company, which has sold its designs to clients including Google and NASA. However, the D-Wave chips cannot run the specific algorithm used to match long prime numbers and break encryption.

The NSA had been previously accused of paying $10 million to security software developer RSA in order to get ‘backdoors’ into two of its cryptography tools. RSA categorically denied the allegations.

Meanwhile Edward Snowden, charged with espionage in the US, is reportedly working as tech support for a major Russian website.

What do you know about Edward Snowden and the NSA? Take our quiz!

Max Smolaks

Max 'Beast from the East' Smolaks covers open source, public sector, startups and technology of the future at TechWeekEurope. If you find him looking lost on the streets of London, feed him coffee and sugar.

View Comments

  • Technical University Delft is building the quantum computer with majoranum as a hard target in your black hole, supervised by professor Dijkgraaf.

  • This is very confusing. Does the people in government supposed to be protect us from the dodgy folks?
    -

  • What's the difference between the US Government and Jacob Zuma?

    US$20 - 60 government million spent on upgrades to privately owned land and home.

    Shades of Charles l and Oliver Cromwell. Never mind the Magna Carta. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I thought the Bill of Rights is there to stop government bullying citizens. Or this is insane fear showing a complete lack of self-confidence.

  • @horsewhisperer

    Yes they have broken public keys and in fact the NSA made RSA with flaws so they could crack it. If you want to be safe ul need some more serious software that uses multiple layers in excess of 1024bit fully end to end.

    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Stop-NSA-Spying/463406747097378

    The more we unite the greater chance we can restore our privacy. There is legit free privacy and encryption software there. Protect yourself and fight back!

  • Well, I hope they enjoy reading my emails

    The ways I intend to take over the world, destroy civilization as we know it
    Get us all back to the stone age
    If you have a secret, dont share it, simples
    If you have a secret between 3 people, you better make sure the other 2 are dead
    The only people who have anything to hide is the Government (pick your country)

    Another thing is it keeps people employed, even though they are doing not much more that paper shuffling

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