30s Summary

Shanghai University researchers recently announced they have cracked RSA encryption algorithms using a quantum computer. However, YouTuber Mental Outlaw dismissed the feat, citing that it only applied to a 22-bit key, far from the 892-bit key record cracked by conventional computers. He added that the physical and computational constraints of quantum computers limit their threat to current encryption standards. Despite this, companies such as HSBC, IBM Quantum, Microsoft, and Apple are already developing quantum-resistant systems and protections.

Full Article

Shanghai University researchers recently claimed to have cracked the RSA encryption algorithms – the kind used for banking, military, and cryptocurrency. But popular YouTuber Mental Outlaw isn’t too fussed, saying that this breakthrough in China doesn’t have the power to mess with our current encryption standards because there are some big computational and physical constraints.

In the study, the scientists used a quantum computer to factorize the number 2,269,753. Mental Outlaw says yes, this breaks records set by other quantum computers but it’s not as impressive as what classical computers have accomplished.

What the YouTuber’s saying is that, it’s just a 22-bit key that the quantum computer broke. For some perspective, the record set by conventional computers was cracking an 892-bit key – something that took a massive 2,700 core years to do.

A bit of background here: early RSA encryption used 512-bit keys and around 2015 we started using keys that ranged from 2048 to 4096 bits. Plus, quantum computers can’t be mashed together to get more processing power to overcome this limitation.

Quantum bits are a bit finicky too. They need temperatures close to absolute zero to keep stable enough to process information, and that means you need some serious cooling infrastructure.

And there’s another catch mentioned by the YouTube video: most of the quantum bits in a quantum computer are too busy correcting errors. So, basically, lots of the computing power in a quantum computer is spent on making sure the outputs are correct rather than working on solving the main problem.

Mental Outlaw reckons that right now, quantum computers aren’t a big threat to our encryption standards. But he also warned that things might change if technology progresses faster than we think.

Tech giants aren’t waiting around to see what happens though. They’re already taking measures to keep encryption standards robust against quantum computers. Back in July 2023, HSBC mentioned they were testing quantum-resistant banking systems. And then in September 2023, IBM Quantum and Microsoft formed a quantum cryptography team to work on creating encryption protections for when quantum computers become the norm. Fast forward to February 2024, and Apple revealed they’re making iMessage quantum-resistant too.

Source: Cointelegraph