As quantum systems enter early commercial innovation, Penn State researchers warned in an IEEE study from the US that hidden hardware flaws, not just data risks, now threaten quantum computing and security in today’s real machines.
Quantum computing, despite being the tech trend, is often discussed as a future danger to encryption. However, researchers say the more urgent issue is already present.
Weaknesses in hardware, cloud access, and system design show why quantum computing and security must be treated as a full technology challenge, not only a cryptographic one, to prevent systems from cyberattacks.
Quantum Computer Vulnerabilities
A big part of today’s risks come from quantum computer vulnerabilities that are tied directly to how quantum machines work. Qubits can exist in multiple states and interact closely, boosting performance but also increasing sensitivity to interference.
This creates a quantum computing threat that goes beyond stolen files or damaged encryption. In many applications, the structure of a quantum circuit can reveal sensitive details about business strategies or industrial systems.
According to researchers’ point of view, the vulnerabilities are also linked to third-party software tools. Therefore, quantum programs must be adapted to specific hardware, and small changes during compilation can quietly modify results or expose intellectual property.
“Classical security methods cannot be used because quantum systems behave fundamentally differently from traditional computers, so we believe companies are largely unprepared to address these security faults” says professor Swaroop Ghosh in his interview.
Such findings point out why hardware behavior must be included in quantum computing and security, not only in software controls.
How to Achieve Quantum Circuit Protection
Cloud-based quantum access introduces another quantum computing threat. Because quantum computers are rare and costly, providers often allow multiple users to share the same machine.
Physical interference between qubits can let one program affect another. This is why researchers emphasize quantum circuit protection to limit the way circuits are observed and reused.
The Penn State study also warns about quantum computer cyberattacks, that aim to slightly degrade performance rather than steal data. The difficulty in these actions is that they can blend into normal system noise, making detection problematic.
“Quantum computers need to be safeguarded from ground up,” Ghosh added. “At the device level, developers should focus on mitigating crosstalk and other sources of noise.”
Another quantum computing threat comes from system correction. Users must trust that machines are properly tuned yet often lack tools to verify this independently. To reduce exposure, experts recommend quantum information encoding methods that hide sensitive details inside circuits.
Stronger isolation between users also supports in protecting quantum data.
While post-quantum cryptography remains important, the paper makes it clear it is beyond its expertise to solve hardware-level risks on its own.
Ultimately, the challenge is protecting quantum data in systems where results are hard to verify after the fact. With adoption growing, trust in outcomes will depend on treating quantum computing and security as an end-to-end design problem, not a challenge to resolve in the future.
A key question remains. Can users trust results they cannot fully verify?
Many argue that early adoption will push quantum computing and security improvements faster, while others warn that deploying insecure systems risks embedding silent failures into critical industries.
Unlike classical computing, where errors can often be checked after the fact, quantum outcomes may remain opaque, raising a deeper debate about responsibility. The solution may outline how quantum technology earns trust or loses it over the next decade.
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