Quantum Computing Attacks

Skip Sanzeri

Marc Maußner, Volker Reers

2025 marks the UN International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. We expect this emerging technology to enter application in real world industry use cases in the next few years. The current focus in research and industry lies on the nominal function of quantum computing to show its “usefulness” of the technology. Hence, one should also start considering aspects of cybersecurity to prepare for currently known attacks when quantum computing is ready to be used in industry.This work provides an overview on quantum computing (QC) with the underlying used quantum mechanical phenomena. We set special highlight on quantum machine learning (QML) as it is expected to have higher expressiveness and shorter training times. The quantum machine learning lifecycle will be presented in detail with the current state of the art of theory and research of cybersecurity attacks.We aim to use this knowledge and start to construct simple experiments as proof-of-concepts for attacking assets in the CIA triad. These proof-of-concepts will set the base for attacks on more relevant use cases of QML models, leading to thoughts and experiments for countermeasures to be set up and put in place. The conclusion will consist of future work and the currently not in detail investigated sections of the lifecycle.

Sneha Srivastava, Shivani Yadav

Chuanqi Xu, Ferhat Erata, Jakub M. Szefer

The rapid growth of interest in quantum computing has brought about the need to secure these emerging computers against a range of security attacks. Among the potential security threats are physical attacks, including those orchestrated by malicious insiders within data centers where the quantum computers are located, which could compromise the integrity of computations and resulting data. To help in the understanding of emerging fault injection attacks on quantum computers, this paper presents an in-depth exploration of quantum computer fault injection attacks. This work introduces a classification of fault injection attacks and strategies, including an analysis of the domain of fault injection attacks, the fault targets, and the fault manifestations in quantum computers. The resulting classification highlights the landscape of the potential threats, and presents a road map for researchers and industry for developing security protection mechanisms against fault injection attacks for the emerging quantum computing systems.

Jasim Easa Raya, Asma Salim Yahya, Esraa Khalid Ahmed Alobaydi

Encryption is required to address the ongoing issue of information security within communication networks. In the second part of the 20th century, quantum computing was first utilized to crack encryption protocols with the SHOR algorithm's development. The transformation from traditional to computational has the possibility of jeopardizing the protection of the current transaction system, even though recent improvements in QC functionality have increased the privacy and security, integrity, and accessibility of networks by shielding them from attacks like eavesdropping. This research adopts a comprehensive literature review approach to clarify the effects of quantum computers on information security. In addition, the study provides a summary of current efforts to guard against quantum attacks. Examining all suggested information security and privacy safeguards, this study examines the additional issue that quantum computers would severely damage information security.

Ameena Sultana