A Secure Transition Perspective on the Expectations and Benefits of Quantum Networks Over Classical Networks
S. Mayukha, R. Vadivel · 2025
Quantum computing is the next big thing in information technology. The possibilities of the quantum computing realm are unfathomable. Quantum computing would help humanity perform complex extreme functionalities even faster, better, and more accurately. Right now, there are so many expectations from quantum computing without even understanding the paradoxes of the quantum functionalities. This chapter deals with one such paradox related to quantum networking and its predecessor—classical networks. This also opens up the field of secure communication with safe encryption. The safety of data in the classical network is questionable in a post-quantum computing and networking scenario. The encryptions that are now safe and uncrackable in classical networking would be easy to crack in a post-quantum computing scenario. Since quantum computing helps accelerate the functionalities and its processes, think of a scenario where a password brute forcing that normally takes 3–4 days to complete will be done in 2–3 hours in quantum computing. Every platform would be in danger if quantum computing is mastered by the threat actors before the vendors could provide a quantum-proof way of accessing the content or software. Zero-day exploits would dominate the post-quantum computing time if the proper implementation of encryption, storage, and transmission with safety features is not completed. This would make a similar occasion where the classical computers faced a challenging situation with the Year 2000 Problem (Y2K Problem). The Y2K problem happened because the computers were not ready or taught to cope with the time progression. The classical computers started displaying 1900 instead of 2000. This might seem like a small problem now, but in that milieu, the people panicked and started a computer-induced apocalypse. This mainly happened because there was no clarity on what the future would hold. All the non-experts started misdirecting the management that rectifying the Y2K problem would take billions of dollars. This led to lots of confusion and people stocking up on food and firearms. This caused lots of frenzies and pushed people to the edge of antipathy towards computers. The community now for information technology is proactive. Hence, as a user-centric community, the community must have an amalgamation for post-quantum computing, so that the transition from classical computing to quantum computing is safe, fast, and reliable. This chapter furnishes the challenges of a post-quantum computing scenario from a security perspective and explains the difference and ill effects of transitioning from classical computing and classical networking to quantum computing and quantum networking.