A classic hacking technique works on some quantum computers

The laws of quantum mechanics make it impossible to copy quantum information, but that doesn’t mean quantum computers are unhackable. Two independent teams of researchers have now devised methods for disrupting calculations on quantum computers. They both rely a method used to hack traditional computers called a row-hammer attack.

Conventional row-hammer attacks target dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), a type of RAM that is essential for short-term information storage in conventional computers. They take advantage of unintended electrical interactions between parts of DRAM…