Windows 11 ready for quantum computing

When we consider the power we carry in our pockets – today’s smartphones have the computing power of military computers from the 1950s that took up entire rooms – we can truly confirm that we live in fascinating times. Despite the fact that we have achieved a lot, and that progress is greater and faster every year, classical computers cannot do everything. There are still problems that today’s computing cannot solve. Many believe that there is a solution, which can be called quantum computing.

In a quantum computer, instead of bits, which can only be in the state of 1 or 0 at a given moment, the computer uses qubits. They can be in multiple states, or can represent multiple values at the same time. This significantly increases the amount of information a computer can store and the speed of calculations. Quantum computers do this by using another quantum phenomenon called quantum entanglement. This, of course, opens the door to extremely powerful parallel data calculations, including cryptography.

Although quantum computers are not yet suitable for everyday use, Microsoft programmers have equipped the new version of the Windows 11 operating system with a special algorithm called ML-DSA. This is actually a digital signature that is resistant to abuse by quantum computers. This algorithm has been built into the main cryptographic functions of the Windows 11 operating system, including NCrypt, BCrypt and Crypt32. This has consequently improved security, as the new certificates are better protected against quantum computing.

The new security feature has been integrated into Windows 11 Build 27863. In addition to better protection against quantum computing, it also brings a wide range of new features and fixes. The new update is currently in the experimental phase. It should be available to all Windows 11 users soon.