Google Willow Quantum Chip
We have had a couple of discussions about Quantum Computing at previous meetings - first, very briefly in January 2023:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2023/01/
And then in more detail in February 2023:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2023/02/
On Monday 9th December 2024, Google announced it has produced a new quantum computing chip called Willow. Many of the tech publications covered this story, such as this article in The Verge, which includes a video of Google’s quantum lab:-
https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/9/24317382/google-willow-quantum-computing-chip-breakthrough
If you want to delve into the source of this announcement, here is the blog published on 9th December by Hartmut Neven, the head of Google Quantum AI:-
https://blog.google/technology/research/google-willow-quantum-chip/
The headline claim is that Willow has performed a task in 5 minutes which they say would have taken today’s fastest supercomputer 10 septillion years – that’s 10 followed by 24 zeros. The age of the Universe is less that 14 billion years – that’s 14 followed by just 9 zeros!
So, quantum computing technology is progressing…
Dodgy USB Drives
There are a lot of fake or counterfeit USB drives being sold, particularly online, even on major sites such as Amazon. If you look at the Properties of these drives with File Explorer, they will report that they are the advertised size, but they are not. These fake drives will appear to store your data, but much of it will not be there when you try to read it back.
Steve Gibson, a long-time security researcher and software developer who runs the Gibson Research Corporation (GRC), has developed a small program called “Validrive” to test the actual size of a USB drive. The program is completely free and runs without the need to be installed. It can be downloaded from this GRC web page:-
https://www.grc.com/validrive.htm
Scroll down to find the “Download now” button.
The GRC page explains more about how it works. There is also a very recent article form Ghacks covering this topic:-
https://www.ghacks.net/2024/12/26/find-out-if-an-usb-device-is-fake-with-free-validrive-app-for-windows/
Validrive is designed to restore the original data to each section that it tests, so no data should be lost.
Dave asked if this issued affected external SSDs as well as USB Flash drives. I think it relates mainly to USB sticks (Flash drives), but I have subsequently seen some reports of counterfeit SSDs.
Retail QR Codes To Replace Barcodes
According to GS1, the international body that oversees the global standards for barcodes, QR codes will gradually be introduced on retail products.
You are probably familiar with QR (Quick Response) codes, such as the one on the right of this blog which can link you to my web site. GS1 have produced a standard which combines this online link to a web site with the offline identification of a product – the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN). Current barcodes just contain the GTIN.
Product manufacturers can embed more information into the QR code, especially when space is limited on the product label, such as expiry dates.
As some retailers will have to update their point-of-sale (POS) scanners to read QR codes, the transition is likely to take some years. The target for POS scanners to be able to read QR codes is 2027. Barcodes will still be around, but you will see QR codes in addition on an increasing number of items.
You can read more on the GS1UK site at:-
https://www.gs1uk.org/knowledge-hub/qr-codes-powered-by-gs1
As Dave reminded us, there have been scams in the past where a QR code is replaced with a fake one which takes you to a malicious web site and he wondered if these product QR codes could be another opportunity for scammers. You can find our previous discussion around fake QR codes in the blog from February 2023:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2023/02/
CAPTCHA at Risk?
CAPTCHA is a rather strained acronym for “Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”. It was designed to prevent automated “bots” signing into web sites to purchase things like sports or concerts tickets, newly released hardware, etc. as soon as they are released so they can subsequently be re-sold at inflated prices.
The first CAPTCHA in the early 2000s asked you to recognise and retype distorted characters. This later moved to asking you to identify pictures containing a specific item such as traffic lights or bicycles. This developed further, just asking you to tick a box saying “I am not a robot” which analysed things such as the way the mouse moves to the tick-box. This Cloudflare article explains more about CAPTCHAs:-
https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/bots/how-captchas-work/
However, as we have discussed over the last couple of years, AI is developing at a rapid rate and is capable of solving many of the current CAPTCHA tests. Trying to distinguish the humans from the bots is likely to be an on-going battle. See this article from The Conversation:-
https://theconversation.com/yes-i-am-a-human-bot-detection-is-no-longer-working-and-just-wait-until-ai-agents-come-along-246427
Dave suggested that 2FA/MFA could be used instead of CAPTCHA. This may be true in some cases, although bots can be designed to cope with a 2FA code. This Medium article discussed this issue:-
https://medium.com/arkoselabs/two-factor-authentication-doesnt-replace-captchas-39be8818be0
Using biometrics can also be used to distinguish humans from bots, and this is discussed in the above article from The Conversation.
Passkeys – Not Ready for Prime Time
Passkeys are a potentially better and more secure system of authentication than passwords. We have discussed Passkeys several times over the last couple of years or so. These discussions are documented in the blogs, but this is also one of the topics where I have collated all the blog entries into a single document which you can find by going to my web site at:-
bit.ly/rogersdocs
Select the Computer Club tab and click on Passkeys in the list of Blog Topics.
So, if Passkeys are so much easier and more secure than passwords, why aren’t we all using them everywhere? This excellent article from Ars Technica, published at the end of December last year, explains why the widespread adoption of Passkeys is not happening yet:-
https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/12/passkey-technology-is-elegant-but-its-most-definitely-not-usable-security/
I took the opportunity to use AI to summarise the Ars Technica article. AI is another topic that has recurred several times over the last couple of years and the relevant blog entries are also collated in a document on my web site called “AI- ChatGPT – Bing/Copilot – Bard/Gemini”. I actually used an AI chatbot called Claude which you can access at:-
https://claude.ai/
(I could have used Open AI’s ChatGPT to do the same thing by going to https://chatgpt.com/)
I pasted in the Ars Technica article and asked it to summarise – this was the outcome:-
The article discusses how passkeys, while technologically elegant, face significant usability challenges that prevent them from being a truly viable password replacement. Here are the main issues:
1. Implementation Problems:
- Different platforms (Apple, Google, Microsoft) handle passkeys differently, creating confusion
- Each vendor tries to push users toward their own ecosystem
- Cross-platform compatibility is complicated and often unintuitive
- User interfaces and workflows vary significantly across devices and browsers
2. Current Limitations:
- No websites currently allow complete password elimination; passwords remain mandatory
- Most sites still fall back to less secure methods (like SMS verification)
- Many implementations require password managers, undermining the original goal of replacing passwords entirely
3. Technical Benefits:
- Passkeys do provide strong security through public-private key pairs
- They offer good protection against phishing and database breaches
- When working properly, they provide multi-factor authentication in one step
4. Practical Recommendations:
- For enterprise environments, passkeys can be beneficial
- For average users with a single ecosystem (e.g., all Apple devices), passkeys might work well
- For most users, the article recommends sticking with:
- A password manager for unique passwords
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Security keys or authenticator apps for additional security
The article concludes that while passkeys show promise for the future, they're not yet ready for widespread adoption due to these usability and implementation challenges.
I can’t really improve on this summary!
Laptop Docking Stations
If you have bought a laptop in the last few years, especially if it’s one of the ultra-thin variety, you will find it has relatively few ports. It may have as few as 2 USB-C ports, and one of those is needed for charging the laptop. A solution to this problem is a Dock or Docking Station. Prices for these range from around £30 up to £200 or more. As with any purchase, it is always wise to check out reviews before you plump. I would suggest starting with something modestly priced and see if that meets your needs. For example, this UGREEN Revodok is currently available on Amazon for £29.99 and provides 2 HDMI ports, 2 USB-C ports and 2 USB-A ports:-
https://www.amazon.co.uk/UGREEN-Revodok-Docking-Station-Thinkpad/dp/B0D1XSKZRJ
Next Session
Wed 12th February 2025 at 2pm by Zoom
