True, most attacks go around encryption rather than defeating it directly. OTOH, it seems not that unlikely that the NSA has a quantum computer that can trivialize all our encryption. If we figure it usually takes 10 or more years before stuff makes it from experimental government shit to the private sector, the private sector isn't that far off.
The private sector is at what, like 10^3 qubits? In order to trivialize all encryption you would need like 10^6. And I don't think it is reasonable to assume quantum computing will follow Moore's Law, but even if it did, I think it is still far enough away where I would be quite thoroughly surprised if anyone anywhere had even 10^5 qubits, let alone 10^6.
True, most attacks go around encryption rather than defeating it directly. OTOH, it seems not that unlikely that the NSA has a quantum computer that can trivialize all our encryption. If we figure it usually takes 10 or more years before stuff makes it from experimental government shit to the private sector, the private sector isn't that far off.
The private sector is at what, like 10^3 qubits? In order to trivialize all encryption you would need like 10^6. And I don't think it is reasonable to assume quantum computing will follow Moore's Law, but even if it did, I think it is still far enough away where I would be quite thoroughly surprised if anyone anywhere had even 10^5 qubits, let alone 10^6.
You sound like you know better than me.