Lockpickers rise: Can enterprise security keep pace?

Quantum computing threatens to crack encryption wide open. Enterprises must act now to build quantum-ready networks before vulnerabilities multiply.

- BY PRATIMA HARIGUNANI

As far back as 1784, the world of locks, doors, and windows was fascinated by Joseph Bramah. Yes, the man who designed the unbreakable lock (that stood its bragging rights for many, many years). He used a round lock mechanism operated by a tubular key, claiming such complexity and security that he displayed it in his shop window and challenged people with a reward of 200 guineas to anyone who could open it.

In 1787, Joseph Bramah's lock patent was granted, requiring 479,001,600 keys to open it under all its variations. It is stated that since 1963, the current mechanism has had 524,288 differences under all its variations. Such was the reputation and complexity of this lock that many tried and failed, till the big attempt in 1851, at the Great Exhibition in London, where AC Hobbs, an American locksmith, spent 52 hours spread over 16 days and claimed the prize.

The 'key' here was not just the complexity of the lock but the sheer number of keys and variations that untangling it required. If Hobbs had quantum tools handy back then, he might have solved these complex variations in the blink of an eye. Quantum computing outperforms classical computing in terms of scale, speed, and precision, with a significant margin. But what does that mean for networks, security and enterprise strategies?

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