What Exactly Is Quantum Computing?

Image: codelyoko.net

Quantum computing is hailed as the future. Many companies are putting plausible efforts to make quantum computers a reality. But, what is quantum computing and what are quantum computers? Read the article to know.

For past few months, you must be noticing your news feed is flooded with major breakthroughs and headways in the tech arena. The technology feed could range anything from the recent surge ininternational cyber intrusions or simple hacking tutorials to space expeditions,defying Moore’s law or the developments in Artificial intelligence. But, what seems to excite most of the tech enthusiasts is the intricate quantum computing and its prospects in future.

The Chinese have announced to set up the world’s first ever and largest hack proof quantum computing communications network from Beijing to Shanghai. Let’s see what these computers actually are and why quantum computing is important for our future!

What is a Quantum Computer?

Quantum computers are nothing like the regular computers or even supercomputers. While the top supercomputers use extensive parallelism with numerous processing units to get its super speed, the Quantum computers work with the physics of quantum mechanics at its core.

A quantum computer is built atom by atom. Now, quantum mechanics in itself is one of the most dreaded topics in physics, so it is no surprise that the quantum computer bears the same traits as well.

How Does Quantum Computing Work?

The quantum computers use atoms (quanta) as its physical system. Unlike in regular computing where the information is carried in either 0 or 1 bit, the quantum mechanics allows an atom to be in both 0 and 1 state simultaneously. This bit of data is called a qubit. ( Don’t hold your head just yet!)

So, as per the theory, if there are equal number of qubits and the regular bits, then the qubits will hold twice the information, i.e. if there are n qubits in the supercomputer, then it will have 2^n different states. So experimentally, it can hold more information as compared to regular digital bits thereby increasing the speed of the system exponentially.

In theory, the quantum phenomenon seems mind blowing but actually building one is equally painstaking. The qubits are dynamic and are only the probabilistic superposition of all of their states. So, the accurate measurement is difficult and requires complex algorithms such as Shor’s algorithm.

What are the Challenges To Quantum Computing?

One of the biggest challenges is to remove quantum decoherence. Decoherence in a layman’s language could be understood as the loss of information to the environment. The decoherence of the qubits occurs when the system interacts with the surrounding in a thermodynamically irreversible manner.

So, the system needs to be carefully isolated. Freezing the qubits is one of the ways to prevent decoherence.

Past And Present Of Quantum Computing:

The concept of Quantum computing was laid down in the 1980s, but major progress started only two decades later. In 2001, researchers demonstrated Shor’s algorithm to factor 15 using a 7-qubit NMR computer. After that, developments in the field of quantum computing operating system and expansion in the qubit numbers were focussed.

As of today, many private players have entered into the competition to build a quantum computer, that would actually silence the critics. D-Wave has recently claimed to break the 1000 qubits barrier record. Other tech giants such asGoogle and IBM are advancing to develop their own quantum computers as well.

If It’s So Complex, Why Is Everyone After Quantum Computing?

A fully functional quantum computer would require around a million atoms. And right now, we are at a mere thousand. But, what would happen if we reach that limit or even its half?

The complex and massive calculations for example in genome sequencing or tracking weather patterns require huge computers or supercomputers for that matter. Now with the current technology, if the amount of data that a supercomputer can handle is increased by just one digit, the system would fail and you would require an even bigger supercomputer.

Second, the modern day encryption systems are entirely based on the limitations of the regular computers. The normal computers can’t figure out the huge probabilistic analysis required to decrypt any sophisticated code. Even a supercomputer would take years decrypting the RSA cryptography, whereas with the help of Quantum computing it would be a matter of days, if not hours.

Quantum computers will lead to research that are either considered hypothetical or at a standstill. From simulating and computing the molecular scale structures to stretching far into the mysteries of Universe, we cannot even dream of the possibilities.

Quantum computing won’t be of changing your lives in day to day operations, but a quantum communication network would definitely provide a better and secure network.

Have something to add? Tell us in comments below.

Intel Core i7 Skylake Processor Reaches Record-breaking 7GHz Clock Speeds

 A professional overclocker from Hong Kong has managed o overclock the Intel Core i7-6700L Skylake microsprocessor to nearly 7GHz clock speeds. This overclocked speed is among the highest ever achievd by any product of Intel Core-i series.

If you are sceptical about the upcoming 6th generation Intel processors and upgrading to the same, here’s a news that will clear all your doubts. A professional from Honk Kong has over clocked the Intel Core i7-6700K chip and made a new record for the micorprocessor frequncy. This speed acheived by Intel Core i7 Skylake processors is among the highest ever acheived by any microprocessor of Intel Core i-series.

According to Kitguru, Kui Lam, a professional overclocker from HKEPC website from Hong Kong, has overclocked an engineering sample of Intel Core i7-6700K Skylake microprocessor to whopping 6998.88MHz. This clock speed is about 74.9.7 per cent more that its normal stock frequency.

To achieve this, Kui Lam had to disable three cores out if four and the Hyper-Threading technology, and the voltage of the processor was increased from 1.2V to 1.888V.

Other components used to make this record included Asrock Z170 OC Formula mainboard, a G. Skill Ripjaws 4 DDR4 RAM along with a 1300W power supply unit. Added to these, the processor was cooled using liquid Nitrogen (LN2).

While this professional overclocker acheiver speeds up to 7GHz using Intel Core i7 Skylake processors, it would be interesting to notice if the retail versions of these microprocessor chip will be able to kiss even 5GHz mark with the commercially available cooling systems. Another point that needs to be looked upon is the use of single core instead of all four. This extreme overclocking is surely interesing, but with changing times, the value of single-core CPU is diminishing.

Did you find this piece of new informative? Share your views in the comments below.

Also read: Intel Core i5 vs Intel Core i7: Which One is Best for You?

It’s Official, Nobody Uses Microsoft’s Latest Edge Browser

 0

B

Microsoft’s Windows 10 Edge Browser Edged Out By Users

Amidst much pomp, Microsoft had launched its new Windows 10 browser, Microsoft Edge claiming that it would finally replace the traditional Internet Explorer and give competition to the modern day Google Chrome and Firefox and win the hearts of users globally.

In reality, there are several important features that are missing in Edge, even though it may look strong on paper. The browser certainly needs a lot of improvements in desktops and tablets, for which some of the changes are expected to be rolled out soon.

Currently, for the regular web surfers and for the ones who install Windows 10, Edge is certainly not the favorite choice, as the new browser has failed to make itself notice in the August 2015 market share statistics.

in August 2015, Google Chrome 44 was the number one browser with a market share of 44.48 percent, according to the data provided by market analyst firm, StatCounter. Followed by Internet Explorer 11 at second position with 10.89 percent and, then by Firefox 39 with 7.45 percent. There were many other IE, Firefox and Chrome that followed later; however, these stats did not include Microsoft Edge.

With 0.94 percent, Firefox 38 is the latest entrant in this chart, which almost certainly means that Edge is below this score. In other words, this means that it is a part of the Others category that has an overall market share of 15.89 percent.

It is difficult to figure out whether these figures are accurate or not. However, currently, Microsoft Edge is clearly not the powerful browser that the Redmond-based tech giant wants it to be.

Microsoft has promised to bring in more features in the coming updates, which are already currently available in its competitor’s apps. The extension support for Microsoft Edge to be introduced in the updates that is likely to be released in October may be a live example wherein it plans to bring the browser to the position of Chrome, Opera and Firefox, which currently provide such functionality.

At the moment, Microsoft Edge is certainly lagging behind its rivals and has a lot of work to do to catch up with them. As of now, we can only wait and watch whether Edge can succeed in making itself the preferred choice over Internet Explorer.

9 Different Versions of USB Type-C Are Coming, Know Them to Avoid Confusion

Type-Short Bytes: Future belongs to the USB Type-C standard as it fulfills the promise of a single connector platform and fulfills the true ideology behind the original USB. But, there are as much as nine different implementations of USB Type-C. Read more to know about them and which one to buy to avoid the confusion.

The USB ports are something that should be put in list of the best inventions in the computing world as it is a lifesaver feature. However, the advent of USB Type-C is something that was long awaited. Slowly and gradually the PC manufacturers, chip makers, mobile devices and other players have started supporting the USB-C receptacles. 

But, not all USB Type-C ports are equal and each of them has their own use and importance. KitGuru has written an informative piece about the same showing all 9 types of USB Type-C ports. These nine different implementations of USB Type-C come with different functionalities. One of these, the new USB 3.1 specification introduces new reversible 24-pin USB type receptacle.

The USB Type-C brings new features, along with retaining the compatibility with the older USB standards. The main motive behind the USB Type-C and USB 3.1 is bring higher performance, improved power delivery, vendor-specific capabilities, and universal connectivity. Take a look at the nine different types of USB Type-C:

The USB 3.1 not only increases the data signing speeds to 10Gb/s, but it also brings the advantage of 128b/132b encoding schemes. Also, USB Type-C and USB 3.1 allow IHVs (independent hardware vendors) to bring their own functions to products.

USB Type-C receptacle could be used with any USB 2.0, USB 3.0, USB 3.1 and Thunderbolt 3 controller. This will allow the vendors to implement the Type-C standards to all range of devices consuming different power. So, different devices with same USB Type-C connector will support different data transfer rates of 480Mb/s, 5Gb/s or 10Gb/s.

Right now, the only fully supported implementation of the USB 3.1 Type-C can be made using Intel Alpine Ridge controller, which also supports Intel’s crazy powerhouse Thunderbolt 3. 

Apart from different types of ports, there are multiple varieties of USB Type-C cables as well. To show this complex situation, below is the list of legacy cable assemblies and adapters. Take a look:

These different situations are messy and could cause a great confusion in the minds of the buyers. As mentioned earlier, at the moment, the only perfect way to own a device with a USB 3.1 Type-C port is to buy a product that supports Intel’s Thunderbolt 3. If your new device fulfills this requirement, you are going to get a great performance experience as this port does every imaginable task.

Share this article if you find this information helpful. Tell us your views in the comments below.

Why WikiLeaks Redesigned its Homepage Exactly like Google’s?

Whistle-blower website WikiLeaks has rolled its new homepage and it possesses a striking similarity with your favorite search engine Google. Yesterday, I visited the WikiLeaks website and amid this confusion, I checked the URL once again in my web browser to confirm it. 

So, why WikiLeaks did all this redesigning? Answer to this question is straight and simple. Recently, WikiLeaks creator Julian Assange released a new book named “When Google met Wikileaks” and this is an obvious way to draw some attention to it.

“When Google met Wikileaks” contains such material that suggests that Google is getting some competitive advantage over its rivals due to its closeness with the Unites States government. Similar allegation were made by The Wall Street Journal and recently Google backfired recently with facts and GIFs.

VB writes that WikiLeaks is trying its best to publicize the book and is even offering a $21 t-shirt with this new Google inspired WikiLeaks logo.

Earlier, WikiLeaks published a complete five-hour chat’s transcript between creator Julian Assange and Google’s Eric Schmidt.

Also read: Edward Snowden: “Get Rid of Dropbox, Avoid Google and Facebook”

Did you like the new Google-inspired homepage of WikiLeaks? Tell us in comments

The Internet Room of North Korea’s New Airport Doesn’t Have Any Internet

 North Korea has built a brand new airport terminal that has all the modern facilities (kind of). Eager to change its image for attracting more tourists, Koreans have built an Internet Room at the airport, but it doesn’t have any internet. Way to go North Korea, way to go.

To boost its tourism, North Korea has built a brand new international airport that shows that the country is eager to change its image and attract more visitors. The authoritarian government has left no stone unturned and even opened a brand new airport terminal, laden with all modern facilities.

The new North Korean airport terminal has an “internet room”, but the only problem is: The internet room of North Korea doesn’t have any internet.

After many trips to the country, reporters of the Associated Press found out that the computers installed in the internet room were unavailable most of the time, and once they were able to secure a system, the internet didn’t work.

The Guardian writes about this weirdly hilarious situation:

On two recent trips through the airport, the room’s three terminals were either occupied by airport employees, making it impossible for others to use them, or were completely empty – with their keyboards removed.

Maybe it was a temporary glitch. It’s hard to say, since airport officials have refused to comment.

The airport officials refused to comment on the ongoing situation. The reporters even checked the browser history and it has nothing to show. Oddly, one computer had just a single visit to the North Korean government’s official website. It seems that someone keeps on erasing the records or the PCs just don’t connect to the internet.

Kim Jong Un Inspects Terminal of Pyongyang International Airport (and looks at the empty chocolate fountain)

However, even if the reporters were able to find a working internet connection in the Internet room of North Korea, they wouldn’t find much as the internet is highly controlled by the government. It’s a well-known fact that most of the people in North Korea don’t have a personal computer and masses have access to the highly censored websites.

The Internet room of North Korea is a failed and plastered attempt by a country that ranks censorship very high in its priorities. Well, if you’re planning to visit North Korea and worrying about the internet, keep in mind that country’s official airline was ranked the worst airline in world for 4th time in a row, according to Guardian.

Did you like this story? Tell us your views in comments below.

Also read: Hacking Software Used in Sony Pictures Hack is Available Online for Everyone

New ATM hack “shimmer” fits in perfectly invisible inside the ATM card slot

 0

BY MAYA KAMATH ON AUGUST 20, 2015SECURITY NEWS, TECHNOLOGY

New ATM Hack ‘Shimmer’ Steals Data, Sits Undetected Inside Card Slot

Security researchers have discovered that ATM hackers are using a new form of card data gathering thin device which acts as a “shim” between the card and the ATM chip reader.

ATM hackers are becoming pretty sophisticated with their modus operandi these days and are getting success in cheating the unlucky victims with high tech gadgets.

This kind of hacking was brought to light by a team of fraud experts in Mexico who discovered that ATM hackers are nowadays using a new form of wafer thin device termed as “shimmer” that has been enabled to gather the card data from ATM machines.

On Wednesday, Krebs On Security reported about this sophisticated ATM skimming device which is inserted into the ATM card slots from where it can read the data directly from the chip-enabled credit or debit cards.

This unobtrusive device acts as a bridge or shim between the card (credit or debit) and the ATM chip reader and hence the name “shimmer”.

This technology is extremely advanced and impressive too because it is difficult to detect this shim, also it does not hamper the chip reading process of the ATM machine.

The chip reading device comprises of some eight gold rectangular leads which collects the data from the card and some electronics which helps to power the data storage on the shimmer.

A security and investigations Mexican firm, Damage Control S.A. reported that the device was found inside a Diebold Opteva 520 with Dip reader (the kind of card reader that requires you to briefly insert your card and then quickly remove it). Usually hackers insert this advanced device from outside of the ATM and it is not connected to the internal parts of the ATM as it can get all the information from this location and need not have access to the internal of the ATM.

As of now it is not not known if the shimmer was provided with some component such as PIN pad overlay or hidden camera to steal the card PINs.

According to Krebs On Security: “Cards equipped with a computer chip are more secure than cards which rely solely on magnetic stripes to store account data. Although the data that is typically stored on a card’s magnetic stripe is replicated inside the chip on chip-enabled cards, the chip contains additional security components not found on a magnetic stripe.”

Normally, the cards are provided with ‘iCVV’ value (integrated Circuit Card Verification)which helps in  ‘card verification mechanism’ and this protects the cards from being copied or duplicated. When hackers use these shimmers, they are able to bypass this mechanism and thus are able to produce an ATM clone which can be used later to successfully withdraw cash from ATM machine.

Techcrunch reports say that the information gathered by these “shimmers” not only allows the hackers to retrieve the data but they can also replicate the ATM chip along with the magnetic strip.

Banks are expected to check regularly if any card inserted in their ATM slots are counterfeited by encoding it with the data stolen from a chip card. However, it seems there are instances where some banks are skipping this process or following some incorrect process of inspecting their ATM machines for the ‘card skimming devices’.

Experts conclude that the crooks are attacking those ATMs which easily accept the magnetic strip cards that have been cloned from chip cards. It indicates that these hackers have figured out which banks are negligent and not following regular inspection of their ATM machines.

According to Krebs On Security, these banks even seem to be ignoring the withdrawals which happen by using the cloned ATM cards because of its location and thinness.

As of now, it is unclear as to which Mexican banks are affected with these “shimmer” devices and also whether the technology has already reached to other parts of the world.

Banks have not yet given their comments on this new ATM threats; hence we would advise the ATM users to be very much careful when they attempt to withdraw cash from ATMs because these shimmers are difficult to be detected and cannot be pushed or pulled from the ATM card reader unless customers use specific tweezers to pull them out from the ATM card slots!