--- title: "Chinese Hackers Use Quantum Computer to Break Military Grade Encryption" description: "Chinese researchers say they've cracked military-grade encryption — with the help of a D-Wave quantum computer." date: "2024-10-17" modified: "2024-10-17" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/hackers-quantum-computer-military-encryption" categories: - "Military" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "cryptography" - "hackers" - "quantum computing" - "the digest" --- # Chinese Hackers Use Quantum Computer to Break Military Grade Encryption ![Chinese researchers say they've cracked military-grade encryption — with the help of a D-Wave quantum computer.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* ## Locked Doors Chinese researchers at Shanghai University say they've inched towards cracking military-grade encryption — with the help of a quantum computer. In a Chinese-language [paper]() published late last month in the *Chinese Journal of Computers*, the researchers claim they were able to use one of D-Wave's off-the-shelf quantum computers to attack Substitution-Permutation Networks (SPNs), classical cryptography algorithms employed in widely-used encryption standards. As [*Tom's Hardware* reports](), the paper delineates two distinct methodologies, both rooted in D-Wave's [quantum annealing]() algorithm. SPNs are used in algorithms tasked with protecting sensitive institutions including militaries and banks — meaning that, if the researcher's claims are true, their findings could force institutions to revisit their cybersecurity measures. Experts have [long warned]() that quantum computers, which work in a fundamentally different way than conventional ones, could soon [break encryption standards]() that keep highly classified information from the prying eyes of hackers. The latest research suggests the tech is making strides towards such an eventuality. According to the hackers' paper, their findings represent "the first time that a real quantum computer has posed a real and substantial threat to multiple full-scale SPN structured algorithms in use today," [as quoted by ]()*[The South China Morning Post]().* ## Off the Shelf As [*The Register* notes](), details of the hackers' techniques remain pretty murky. The quantum-aided attacks were also implemented against a much shorter encryption key than is usually used in the real world, meaning that the alleged findings are, at best, a promising though still theoretical *start* to cracking these algorithms out in the wild. Even so, that the researchers' reported success didn't hinge on military- or law enforcement-protected technologies is meaningful. D-Wave, which was founded in Canada, is a private-sector company and its goods are available to retail buyers. As *The Register's* Laura Dobberstein writes, the "mere fact that an off-the-shelf one quantum system has been used to develop a viable angle of attack on classical encryption will advance debate about the need to revisit the way data is protected." All in all, though the paper comes with a heavy grain of salt, its findings may warrant a pulse check on the efficacy of modern encryption standards — not to mention fuel efforts to devise the [cryptography standards of the future](). **More on quantum:** [*Weird New Quantum Experiment Sounds Suspiciously Like Time Travel*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()