Google is looking out for the cryptobros
A separate paper released by Google researchers also shows progress in using Shor’s algorithm to break ECC-256, specifically over secp256k1, the elliptic curve that forms the backbone of Bitcoin and other blockchain cryptography. The researchers said they have devised improvements to Shor’s Algorithm that make it possible to crack the public key in a Bitcoin address in under 10 minutes with resources that are 20 times smaller than achieved in 2003 research.
Specifically, Google said it has compiled two quantum circuits that solve the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem. One requires fewer than 1,200 logical qubits and 90 million Toffoli gates, and the other needs fewer than 1,450 logical qubits and 70 million Toffoli gates. A logical qubit is a fault-tolerant qubit that’s encoded using hundreds (or thousands) of physical qubits. The researchers estimate their machine needs roughly 500,000 physical qubits, half of what the same team estimated last June was needed to break 2048-bit RSA, which has a much larger key size. A Toffoli gate is a resource-intensive operation that’s a key driver in the amount of time required to complete an algorithm.
In a move that’s turning heads in security circles, Google isn’t releasing the algorithmic improvements that make this achievement possible. Instead, the researchers released a zero-knowledge proof that mathematically proves the existence of the algorithmic enhancement without disclosing it.
“The escalating risk that detailed cryptanalytic blueprints could be weaponized by adversarial actors necessitates a shift in disclosure practices,” the authors explained. “Accordingly, we believe it is now a matter of public responsibility to share refined resource estimates while withholding the precise mechanics of the underlying attacks.” The researchers, who said they consulted with the US government in forging the new policy, went on to say that “progress in quantum computing has reached the stage where it is prudent to stop publishing details of improved quantum cryptanalysis to avoid misuse.”
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