(Dinarian Note: IF, and that's a HUGE "IF", THEY have done this, it would mean the end of Proof-Of-Work (BITCOIN) among other cryptocurrencies very soon. Read on..)
According to reports circulating on the web, 24 Chinese researchers have reportedly succeeded in breaking RSA encryption using a quantum computer. This would be a significant achievement, as RSA encryption is widely used in current security practices. However, a number of experts, computer scientists, and cryptographers do not believe the researchers have made a significant discovery, based on the scientific paper published in Dec. 2022.
Quantum Computing Race Heats Up as Chinese Researchers Claim Breakthrough in RSA Encryption
In Sept. 2022, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)Ā warnedĀ that a post-quantum world was coming soon and stressed that contemporary encryption techniques could break. Months later, in December 2022, aĀ scientific paperĀ published by 24 Chinese researchers claimed to have broken 2048-bit RSA encryption using a quantum computer. The paper follows aĀ reportĀ from April 2022 that detailed that China was ātaking the leadā in the quantum computing race.
Basically, aĀ quantum computerĀ is a type of computational device that uses quantum-mechanical phenomena and can perform operations on data faster than classical computers can perform computational tasks.Ā RSAĀ is named after its creators, Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman, and is widely used on todayās computer systems. It is an example of a public-key cryptography system, which means that modern computers often use it to encrypt and decrypt messages.
On January 5, 2023, the Financial Times (FT)Ā reportedĀ on the paper that alleges Chinese researchers have claimed success in breaking RSA encryption. FT questioned a few experts about the paper, andĀ Roger Grimes, a computer security expert and author, told FT: āItās a huge claim ā It would mean that governments could crack other governmentsā secrets. If itās true ā a big if ā it would be a secret like out of the movies, and one of the biggest things ever in computer science.ā
There is also a Google GroupsĀ conversationĀ where people are debating whether Chinese researchers have factored in 2048-bit integers.Ā Bruce Schneier, a computer security and cryptography expert, published anĀ analysisĀ and stated that the paper relies on aĀ disputed paperĀ written by Peter Schnorr, a German mathematician. Schneier also shared his opinion with the Financial Times about the so-called quantum computing breakthrough. āWe have no empirical proof that the [new] quantum algorithm overcomes the Schnorr scaling problem,ā Schneier told the FT. āThereās no reason to believe it wonātābut thereās no reason to believe it will.ā
Quantum computingās potential to break contemporary encryption techniques has worried crypto proponents for some time. However, some believe that if quantum computers can break encryption, it will be a closely guarded secret. When asked if he thought a quantum computer could break Bitcoinās cryptography, Bitcoin evangelist Andreas Antonopoulos onceĀ said, āThe last thing they are going to use that on is Bitcoin.ā Antonopoulos added:
Cause the moment you use it on Bitcoin you announce to the world we have quantum cryptography that can break [the] elliptic curve ā Guess what happens? Your nuclear rivals upgrade their cryptography very easily and try to implement quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms.
Speaking with the FT, cryptography expert Bruce Schneier concluded that while the researchersā paper may turn out to be unfounded, the race for a quantum computer to break encryption is heating up. āThe betting is, as in all these cases, breaking RSA wonāt workābut someday that bet will be wrong,ā Schneier said.
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