Quantum computers are expected to deliver dramatic gains in processing speed and capability, with the potential to reshape fields ranging from scientific research to commercial innovation.

However, those same advantages could also make these machines attractive targets for cyberattacks, according to Swaroop Ghosh, a professor of computer science and electrical engineering at the Penn State School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Ghosh and co-author Suryansh Upadhyay, who recently earned his doctorate in electrical engineering from Penn State, examined these concerns in a new research paper that outlines key security weaknesses in current quantum computing systems. Published in the Proceedings of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the study argues that protecting quantum computers will require more than software safeguards, emphasizing the importance of securing the underlying hardware as well.