Great article on why quantum computers haven't factored 21 yet using Shor's algorithm despite having factored the number 15 in 2001.
Turns out the quantum circuit for factoring 21 with Shor's algorithm is way, way, way bigger.
(Note: other algorithms don't count, because they're not polynomial time, so they all lose to classical computers)
@bascule so the current push away from RSA and all this “store now, decrypt later” fashionable thing is mere fear-mongering and can be ignored?
@bascule @thedarktangent You might be interested in Peter Gutmann's work "Quantum Encryption is Bollocks". He talks about how most of the factoring papers are kinda not true.
@mirabilos there's a couple things that are true at the same time:
1) it's good to be prepared for the possibility of large quantum computers, and to do that preparation at a leisurely pace where things are gradually rolled out when in a mature state, which is more or less where we're at right now
2) it sure seems like it's gonna be awhile before it's a problem. at least another decade maybe?
Even if that's the case, data at rest encrypted five to ten years from now needs encryption keys that are secure 10 to 20 years from that point.
Given how glacially slow it is to update encryption protocols and to verify that the algorithms are safe, it makes sense to rather be too soon than too late.
@bascule
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