Quantum Tunneling Attacks: The Silent Threat to Post-Quantum Cryptography

The article describes a significant new vulnerability in post-quantum cryptography (PQC) discovered by researchers at Tsinghua University: quantum tunneling side-channel attacks. Unlike traditional side-channel attacks, these exploit quantum mechanical properties of semiconductor materials in cryptographic chips, detecting variations in electron tunneling rates that reveal information about cryptographic keys. What makes this attack particularly concerning is its effectiveness (94% success rate with just 7,200 observations), non-invasiveness (working from up to 2 meters away), and ability to bypass conventional countermeasures. The discovery has prompted rapid responses from NIST, cybersecurity agencies, and hardware manufacturers developing countermeasures, including quantum tunneling-resistant materials, architectural modifications, and protocol-level protections. This vulnerability represents not just a technical challenge but a fundamental shift in security thinking, as we must now defend against quantum mechanical attacks on the very solutions designed to protect against quantum computers.

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