Will an openly published security vulnerability be proven to exploit a known weakness in a commercial quantum computer before the end of 2027?

Quantum Security Failure: First Public Vulnerability Before 2027

Commercial quantum computing is still nascent, but the security of these systems is paramount. This prediction is that a publicly published security vulnerability will be successfully proven to exploit a known weakness in a commercially deployed quantum computer (e.g., a system offered by IBM, Google, IonQ, or Rigetti) before the end of 2027.

The Race to Break Q-Systems

This is not a prediction about the 'quantum apocalypse'—the breaking of current classical encryption like RSA—but rather a conventional security flaw in the *infrastructure* surrounding the quantum chip itself. Potential vulnerabilities include:

• **Control System Exploits:** Hacking the classical software and electronics that control the qubits.
• **Side-Channel Attacks:** Measuring unintended physical outputs (e.g., thermal, acoustic, or electromagnetic radiation) to extract information about the computation.
• **Cryogenic System Tampering:** Exploiting weaknesses in the refrigeration and shielding systems to degrade or manipulate the quantum state.

As these machines move out of research labs and into cloud-accessible environments, they become targets for conventional cybersecurity attacks. The 2027 timeline reflects the growing accessibility of these machines and the increasing focus of the security research community on finding their exploitable flaws.