‘It’s a real shock’: quantum-computing breakthroughs pose imminent risks to cybersecurity - Nature

Email Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Whatsapp X The world could be caught off guard by quantum hackers before the end of this decade — much sooner than expected. This is the take-home message of two studies posted independently on 30 March, one a white paper by a team at Google1 and the other a preprint from Oratomic2, a start-up company in Pasadena, California. Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any time Learn more Subscribe to this journal Receive 51 print issues and online access $199.00 per year only $3.90 per issue Learn more Rent or buy this article Prices vary by article type from$1.95 to$39.95 Learn more Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Nature 652, 552-553 (2026) doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-01054-1 References Babbush, R. et al. Securing Elliptic Curve Cryptocurrencies against Quantum Vulnerabilities:Resource Estimates and Mitigations (Google Quantum AI, 2026); available at https://quantumai.google/static/site-assets/downloads/cryptocurrency-whitepaper.pdf Cain, M. et al. Preprint at arXiv https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2603.28627 (2026). Download references Reprints and permissions Latest on: Mathematics and computing Quantum information Information technology To hire good scientists, look at their peer-reviewing records CORRESPONDENCE 28 APR 26 ‘World models’ are AI’s latest sensation: what are they and what can they do? NEWS EXPLAINER 28 APR 26 Data centres are controversial: will launching them into space help? NEWS EXPLAINER 28 APR 26 Jobs Assistant Professor, Stanford Dermatology The Department of Dermatology at Stanford University is seeking an Assistant Professor... Stanford, California (US) Stanford Dermatology Postdoc in Computational Biology Postdoc in Computational Biology | Human Technopole, Milan Build the science that shapes the future of human health. Application closing date: 20.0... Milan (IT) Human Technopole Postdoctoral Associate: Unsupervised Learning for DNA/RNA Molecular Dynamics Interpretable DNA/RNA ensemble quantification with molecular dynamics, machine learning, clustering, and measurement analysis. Gaithersburg, Maryland Biophysical and Biomedical Measurement Group, National Institute of Standards and Technology Associate or Senior Editor, Communications AI & Computing Job Title: Associate or Senior Editor, Communications AI & Computing Locations: Shanghai, Beijing, Pune or New Delhi (hybrid) Application deadline:... Shanghai, Beijing, Pune or New Delhi (hybrid) Springer Nature Ltd Faculty Positions at Institute of Physics (IOP), Chinese Academy of Sciences IOP is China's premier research institution in condensed matter physics and related fields. Beijing (CN) Institute of Physics (IOP), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)