A few months back, the National Security Agency (NSA) released a statement saying that the world must prepare for Quantum computers and that these devices could diminish any existing computer cryptography. They warned the community to create post-cryptographic solutions that could survive this new invention.
Quantum computers have intrigued computer gurus ever since the concept was introduced by Paul Benioff and Yuri Manin in 1980, Richard Feynman in 1982, and David Deutsch in 1985. The idea of a quantum deep web may seem fascinating and would probably be accessed through some sort of Illuminati-style Quantum networks, but no need to worry – that isn’t here yet.
The NSA said in their statement, “For those partners and vendors that have not yet made the transition to Suite B algorithms, we recommend not making a significant expenditure to do so at this point, but instead to prepare for the upcoming quantum resistant algorithm transition.”
This may come as a surprise to people since the NSA has been a long-time supporter of pre-Quantum cryptographic solutions, new and advanced algorithms that answer problems with current answers, but would not be secure in the event of Quantum computing. The NSA has been a supporter of Elliptical Curve Cryptography (ECC), which contradicts their above statement. They are now saying this ECC is a makeshift solution waiting to end by Quantum research.
While it’s possible the NSA has a secret Quantum computer behind the scenes, recent events suggest otherwise. The Edward Snowden leaks revealed little to no evidence that the NSA possess post-Quantum capabilities.
With that said, the NSA’s statement can be boiled down to a single explanation: a conventional computer algorithm can break modern computer encryption through simple mathematical efficiency. Quantum computers will most likely come into existence at some point, so any announcement made by the NSA is worth paying attention to.
Source: Extreme Tech
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