Quantum cryptanalysis
Quantum cryptanalysis is the study of leveraging quantum-computing to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in cryptographic primitives, specifically targeting the mathematical foundations of classical encryption.
Core Algorithms
- Shor’s algorithm: Provides exponential speedup for integer factorization and discrete logarithm problems, rendering RSA, Diffie-Hellman, and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) vulnerable.
- Detailed analysis of its threat to RSA and internet security is documented in Shor’s Algorithm: Quantum Computing’s Threat to RSA Encryption and Internet Security.
- Explained comprehensively by Mike Pound and Phil Moriarty in Shor’s Algorithm: Quantum Computing’s Threat to RSA Encryption and Internet Security.
- Grover’s algorithm: Provides a quadratic speedup for unstructured searches, effectively reducing the security strength of symmetric-key cryptography (e.g., requiring larger key sizes for AES).
Threat Landscape
- q-day: The projected milestone where quantum hardware attains sufficient scale and error correction to break widely used classical cryptography.