量子计算领域的投资呈现爆发式增长。根据麦肯锡的数据，2025年该领域初创企业的投资额达到了130亿美元，实现了六倍的增长。初创公司与科技巨头争相布局，特朗普政府也承诺拨款20亿美元，用于获取九家量子计算公司的股权。虽然量子计算机利用量子力学可以在数小时内完成传统计算机需数十亿年才能完成的特定计算，但其应用主要集中在物理和化学的复杂模拟上，并非通用型替代方案。然而，在网络安全方面，能够破译现行加密算法的量子计算机将威胁全球商务与通信隐私，情报机构和网络犯罪分子已在拦截并存储当前的加密数据以备未来解密。
面对“Q日”的潜在危机，后量子密码学（PQC）提供了现实的解决方案。PQC基于量子计算机无法攻破的数学原理，且可直接在现有经典计算机上部署。目前，Firefox、Chrome、苹果iMessage以及主流云服务商已启用PQC技术。根据网络安全公司Cloudflare的数据，其处理的前端网络流量中支持PQC的比例已从一年的38%提升至59%。这种将新型PQC与传统加密标准相组合的防护模式，有效提升了即时数据传输的安全防御能力。
尽管前端推进迅速，整体网络基础设施仍存在巨大的安全漏洞。Cloudflare的数据显示，其后端连接的服务器中仅有11%支持PQC。此外，大量物联网设备、传感器和医疗器材因芯片算力不足而无法运行PQC，且存在厂商停止维护或系统补丁未及时更新的问题。正如英国卫生署在2017年因使用未补丁系统而遭受勒索软件重创一样，未升级的硬件将成为致命弱点。因此，企业与政府必须立即加大投资升级系统并对新算法开展压力测试，以保障当前及未来的数据安全。
Investment in quantum computing has seen explosive growth. According to consultancy McKinsey, startup funding in the sector rose six-fold in 2025 to reach $13bn, attracting intense interest from tech giants and venture capitalists. In May, the Trump administration pledged $2bn to acquire equity stakes in nine quantum computing firms. While quantum computers leverage physics to solve complex simulations in hours that would take classical machines billions of years, their utility remains specialized. However, their ability to break standard encryption algorithms threatens global communications and digital commerce, with intelligence agencies already harvesting encrypted data stream for future decryption upon "Q-day".
Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) offers a viable defense, utilizing complex mathematical problems resistant to quantum decryption while running on standard hardware. Major tech tools including Chrome, Firefox, Apple’s iMessage, and cloud providers have integrated PQC. According to Cloudflare, the proportion of front-end web traffic protected by PQC surged from 38% last year to 59%. By bundling PQC with time-tested classical encryption standards, organizations can establish immediate, multi-layered defensive capabilities without waiting for quantum hardware to fully mature.
Despite front-end progress, critical back-end infrastructure remains dangerously vulnerable. Cloudflare reports that a mere 11% of back-end servers currently support PQC. Millions of internet-connected devices, such as medical tools and remote sensors, lack the computational processing power required to run resource-intensive PQC protocols. Additionally, legacy equipment often suffers from unpatched vulnerabilities or abandoned software support, mirroring the structural vulnerabilities that devastated Britain's health service during a 2017 cyberattack. Consequently, governments and private enterprises must urgently fund infrastructure upgrades and stress-test PQC standards to safeguard global data against impending decryption threats.
Source: It is past time to upgrade to post-quantum encryptio
Subtitle: When the quantum breakthrough comes, data being harvested today will be exposed
Dateline: 7月 30, 2026 05:36 上午