Quantum Center Conference – AstralQ:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching a new era of quantum—a new era of processing speed and technological evolution. As you all know, the quantum advantage and its applications are vast. This year, our company will unveil a new annealing quantum computer model, the AstraQ-5120, boasting a capacity of 5,800 qubits. More importantly, it integrates our QuantaBoost software, designed to optimize processing speed.
Unlike gate-based machines, this annealing computer is specifically built for optimization. Its adiabatic mechanism always moves along the lowest energy state of a problem, tunneling through barriers and escaping local minima, saving enormous time on certain optimization tasks."
Standing in a corner of the hall, hardware engineer Adrian chuckled to a colleague:
"So… how much do you think the stock is going to rise?"
"Well, let's see the live demonstration first," one replied.
Adrian smirked:
"AstraQ is one of the pioneering companies in annealing quantum computing. It doesn't require nearly as many algorithms as gate-based systems. Many critical problems will be solved almost instantly. Of course, it's not universal like gate-based machines, but it complements classical computers and enhances the overall experience for optimization problems, and…"
Adrian's gaze shifted to the stage as the host introduced a new figure: AstraQ's key software engineer, Sam Reley.
The audience murmured in surprise:
"The guy behind QuantaBoost? I heard he's pretty talented… just joined AstraQ recently."
Adrian muttered to himself:
"Hm… a quantum computing enhancement software, huh? I still think the core always comes from the hardware."
A sudden message from the director requested the engineering team to assemble at the Omega Data Center
Adrian: "Do we have an assignment?"
Director Lynda: "The government has asked us to assist in investigating an incident at Omega involving quantum computing. This is an opportunity for our company to demonstrate our quantum expertise."Omega Data Center
The director of the center, Colin, welcomed Adrian, looking visibly concerned:
"This is a data breach. Someone has infiltrated our system and stolen a portion of stored information. We have top-tier security measures, but we haven't yet deployed a quantum shield. Our team suspects that a quantum computer may have been used to hack into the system because there are signs of extremely fast code-breaking, and system logs show sequences of oscillating numbers."
Colin: "And do your server areas have network connections?"
At that moment, Sam Reley entered remotely:
Sam: "Hello, I'm Sam Reley. AstraQ requested me to collaborate with you, Adrian."
Adrian: "Ah, I attended your presentation. The quantum enhancement software is quite impressive."
Sam: "So, Adrian, what do you think about this data theft incident?"
Adrian: "Well… quantum computing is developing rapidly, but in my opinion, it isn't yet capable of breaking into a high-security system like this. But reasoning aside, I'd like to hear what you think, Sam."
Sam: "Could be right, or could be wrong. I see it differently: a quantum computer with sufficient qubits and properly designed software could break current encryption standards. However, regarding this specific data breach, I tend to agree with Adrian. A system without network connections is very difficult to hack from the outside—I said difficult, not impossible. And it could have been compromised using conventional tools, not quantum technology."
Adrian: "Look, my friend, I know you're confident in quantum software, seeing it as a perfect path. But remember: whether software is simple or complex, its performance depends heavily on the underlying quantum hardware. Without breakthroughs in hardware, software alone is just a small, low-efficiency piece of the bigger picture."
Sam: "I understand. Without your work, Adrian, AstraQ couldn't have developed such advanced quantum products. Now, let's get back to it. From what I've seen, the logs in the Omega system show sequences oscillating like quantum annealing noise—not completely uniform, but not chaotic either—rising and falling in intensity, almost like the thermal noise signals in an annealing process, right?"
Adrian: "I understand what you're implying… and I'm guessing that's the conclusion you're leaning toward."
Sam: "Exactly. The attacker could've used a USB Rubber Ducky to extract data extremely quickly if the machine was unlocked at the time. And when the Rubber Ducky executed its log-wiping script, it produced patterns that resembled annealing noise. You should check the logs at the exact timestamp when a USB device was plugged in."
Adrian: "A pretty professional culprit. By the way, what exactly was stolen?"
Colin: "Ah… some quantum research data. Government agents will be handling that part of the investigation."
Adrian: "Right. We're only here to help verify a few things. Now, onto the main point: your system is quite secure, but without a quantum shield. Our company will provide the necessary components to upgrade your security. Before that, we've been granted government approval to demonstrate our quantum capabilities—specifically, using our annealing machine to run an analytical test on your network-connected systems."
Adrian: "Our AstraQ-5120 has just been upgraded with Dr. Sam's software: QuantaBoost. Go ahead, Sam, give them an introduction."
Sam: "Certainly. This software can reduce embedding size by 50–60%, meaning it requires fewer physical qubits to represent the same problem. With the qubit capacity we have—and this optimization—we can run several analytical methods, such as identifying network structures with an 'optimal attack path', and performing massive side-channel attack modeling when a system chip has thousands of leakage-timing parameters… all within a very short time.
And, of course, the annealing computer significantly reduces operational costs for the company."
Colin: "Incredible. I'm sure the government will be impressed by AstraQ's breakthroughs. And our company will likely order your services to reinforce our security layers."
Adrian: "Unfortunately, we can't help you in time to protect the Omega data that was stolen. But try reviewing the security cameras multiple times—you might find something. I'm certain the hacker studied your system thoroughly. It could be an insider… not entirely sure. Or maybe not."