UAE announces first quantum computer to defend against cyberattacks

UAE announces first quantum computer to defend against cyberattacks

Quantum computers - far more powerful than classical computers - can be used by hackers for malicious purposes. The Abu-Dhabi based researcher said that there is a continuous global tug-of-war between cybersecurity experts and cybercriminals and hackers. "As to why and how such leaks happen, hackers essentially exploit vulnerabilities in computer software and networks to gain unauthorised access,“ she told Khaleej Times in an interview. Breaches at social and professional networking sites, Dr Najwa underlined, were serious incidents as hackers and cybercriminals can use the data to impersonate people and commit fraud even if some of the leaked data is a few years old. "Since it was posted on the hacking forum for free, the data is potentially available to anyone online, which heightens the risk further.“ Dr Najwa said many organisations do not follow even the most basic of information security rules of having a strong password, ensuring applications have security patches to rectify vulnerabilities or raising awareness of phishing emails. "In order for organisations to protect themselves against cyberattacks, they should follow common cybersecurity procedures, including using complex hard-to-crack passwords, applying multi-factor authentication and ensuring that their internal computer networks have the required software patches.“ Dr Najwa pointed