Post-quantum cryptography

There are two types of encryption: symmetric uses a fixed key (that must be shared for communication), a common usage is to encrypt your computer or phone; asymmetric constructs a key from a private key and a public key (removing the requirement to share a key) and it the basis for encryption across the Web.  If you can factor large numbers into its primes (e.g. 15 = 3 * 5), you can break asymmetric encryption.  Quantum computers will be able to factor the large numbers that are the basis for asymmetric encryption so encryption on the Web is endangered.  Google has begun experimenting with encryption that will be resistant to an attack using quantum computers.  This is important work: http://www.networkworld.com/