Is the Computer Apocalypse (Finally) Coming?
In the final decade of the last century, the world faced the possibility of a computer apocalypse: the famous “millennium bug”. Back then the disaster was averted, but experts are now warning of the next threat: Y2Q.
In 1999 we were all afraid of a digital doomsday scenario on 1 January 2000. The infamous Y2K bug - also known as the millennium bug - threatened to cause an IT disaster. The reason was that back then computer programs, which had been written in the 1960s and 1970s, used just two digits to indicate the number of the year. Because the "19” was missing, computers might have interpreted the upcoming "00" as 1900 instead of 2000, potentially causing a major glitch.
Y2Q: the quantum threat
Fortunately this never happened. The threat from the Y2K bug was averted thanks to an international effort. Now, however, experts are warning about a new crisis: Y2Q. This one concerns the algorithms safeguarding today’s systems against cyberattacks. These algorithms are based on complex mathematical problems that are virtually impossible for normal computers to solve. However, they can easily be cracked by powerful quantum computers. If hackers can get through the security protecting government systems, disrupt financial transactions and leak personal data, experts say this will be a real computer apocalypse.
Y2Q > Y2K
Y2Q may have been named after the famous Y2K millennium bug, but it is not really a fair comparison. In the case of the millennium bug, for example, we knew exactly when it would occur (at the dawn of the new millennium), but with Y2Q we do not know exactly when quantum computers will be powerful enough to crack our existing algorithms. The solution for Y2Q will also be a lot more complex than simply adjusting the way data is displayed, as we did with Y2K. IT experts will have to address some difficult issues such as post-quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution.
Quantum is coming
The fact that the U.S. government passed the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act in December 2022 demonstrates that this is a serious threat. Now our society is even more inextricably bound up with computers than it was in 2000. Today’s current quantum computers are only in their infancy, but their bigger and more powerful brothers will be coming along soon. It is important for governments, institutions and industries to prepare accordingly.