Looking Into the Future of Quantum Computing

To most of us, quantum computers are an experimental technology that probably won't be fully understood or fully utilized for a long, long time. However, companies like Google, IBM, and Intel are closer to the quantum computer ideal than we might think. On March 5th at the American Physical Society, Google announced that they are testing a 72-quantum bit (or qubit) chip. Their previous was only 9 qubits, so this is quite the jump. Their goal with this chip is to achieve "quantum supremacy", which means proving that a quantum computer can perform a calculation that is impossible for current computers. Only a quantum chip of at least 50 qubits can perform the calculation. Meanwhile, IBM is testing a 50-qubit chip and Intel is testing a 49-qubit chip. The field of quantum computing is quite busy and may become a reality much sooner than previously expected.

Google Chrome Will Shame Insecure Sites This Summer

The difference between HTTP and HTTPS is a subtle one that makes a big difference in terms of website security. As the developer of one of the world's most widely used web browsers, Google promised in 2016 that they would do their part to help steer users clear of insecure websites by implementing a warning function in an upcoming version of Chrome. Finally, that promise is coming to fruition; Google recently announced that version 68 of Google Chrome, due in July, will insert a "not secure" label in the address bar every time a user navigates to a website using plain HTTP. Eventually, they plan to add a "red for danger" icon to the label to increase its visibility. Hopefully this measure will help discourage users from browsing unsafe sites and convince sites that don't want to appear untrustworthy to upgrade to HTTPS.

The Pen is Mightier Than the....Mouse?

Tablet computer pens are useful for writing notes and drawing, but they're hardly considered replacements for the humble computer mouse. Microsoft, however, may be trying to change that perception. They recently had a patent approved for an potential upgrade to the pen used with their Surface line of tablets. The new pen has a touch-sensitive retention clip that delivers the functionality of a scroll wheel, something previously lacking in tablet computer pens. According to the patent description, the goal of this new feature is to make the Surface pen a proper alternative to a traditional computer mouse. Only time will tell if the pen ever becomes a widely accepted alternative to the mouse.

Colleges Look to the Future of Technology

Stories have been coming out about social media services and content hosting services finding themselves having to deal with complex social and legal situations far beyond the scope of their original humble intents. Now, some groups are working to try to prevent these situations in the future. Many universities, including Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and the University of Texas, are beginning to create and offer computer science ethics courses. Their goal is to prepare future tech leaders for grappling with the ethical ramifications of technology developments, from AI to self-driving cars to autonomous weapons. Hopefully these efforts keep the tech world innovative, but also focused on helping people first and foremost.

Virus Hits City of Dallas Systems

Multiple computer systems managed by the city government of Dallas, Texas were slowed or shut down completely yesterday in the aftermath of a virus attack. Emergency dispatch systems, library catalog systems, and municipal court scheduling systems were all affected by the attack. The city's IT department said they do not believe any customer data was breached. This is not the first time the city government has been hacked; last April, the emergency siren system was compromised and sirens activated multiple times in one day.

Lenovo's Long Hardware Vulnerability

During a security audit of Lenovo's Enterprise Network Operating System (ENOS), the audit team discovered a vulnerability dating all the way back to 2004. The vulnerability allows attackers to use a mechanism called "HP Backdoor" to bypass authentication and gain administrator-level access to the network device. The vulnerability was established in a firmware update when the ENOS technology was owned by Nortel Networks, who sold it to IBM in 2010, who then sold it to Lenovo in 2014. Lenovo investigated the circumstances surrounding the firmware update and discovered that the bypass function was intentionally added in 2004 by Nortel at the request of its OEM customer. Lenovo removed the vulnerability from the source code and released updated firmware for all the affected products.

Microsoft "Andromeda"

Microsoft is re-entering the mobile device market with their new project, codenamed "Andromeda". Andromeda includes software and hardware elements; both a foldable tablet device and a new mobile-friendly variant of Windows 10 designed to run on that device. The tablet will support both touch and pen inputs, and is intended to be used similarly to a journal or notebook. Rumors indicate that Microsoft is targeting a professional audience, including businesspeople, educators, and creators with this project. In that light, it will most likely be a premium product with a premium price.

Meltdown and Spectre

2018 did not start well for processor manufacturers. Two separate vulnerabilities (Meltdown and Spectre) were discovered that targeted the fundamental ways that Intel processors handle memory allocation. A threat actor can exploit these vulnerabilities to gain privileged access to the parts of memory used by programs, where they can then steal sensitive information like credentials or encryption keys. Microsoft, Google, and other major tech companies scrambled to implement protections in their products, which had the unfortunate side effect of slightly to moderately decreasing the efficiency of processors on Windows and Linux machines. Only time will tell how this will affect the processor industry in the future.