So, do there exist other "quantum-safe" crypto algorithms still considered to be reliable?
“Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC
141–150 of 187 posts
Re: “Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
Why do you think he's wrong? He's essentially saying IT systems need to be designed with the expectation that cryptographic algorithms will be attacked and may need to be replaced, as I understand it.
If by "crypto agility" one means "we should research diverse cryptographic primitives and constructions so that we can be ready if something we rely upon breaks", nobody disagrees with that. But that's not what Schneier means. What he says instead is that "it’s vital that our systems be able to easily swap in new algorithms when required". That approach has a virtually unbroken track record of failure. It demands neg…
To me, it just means that the formats shouldn’t be hardcoded to a single algorithm (e.g. like Git is to SHA-1), but should allow for different (including future) algorithms, like e.g. X.509 certificates do. I do work in the electronic signature space, where this is important, and there are no negotiation scenarios there.
Re: “Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
You need to be able to perform long division to take quotients in algebraic structures, e.g. polynomials. Yes, Wolfram Alpha can probably do it, but not always.
It's easier with polynomials than with numbers, though.
But numbers are polynomials!
Both in the trivial sense, and the 361 = 3x10^2 + 6x10 + 1 sense
Re: “Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC
#144I wonder if someday we will see someone generating all the bitcoins on a laptop. How the article says, the math behind most cryptosystems were never proven to be unbreakable, it is just believed to be so, because no one managed to show otherwise.
That's the one actual value of bitcoin / cryptocurrencies: we can be fairly sure that no one broke the used hashing algorithms (1). The valuation of these coins is such that not just any individual, but even a state actor would just go for it. (1) to such a degree that it would allow the attacker to create new blocks at will. Assume 1 bitcoin is $50k; break it only once a day and make over 15 million × block reward a…
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Re: “Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC
#145Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's the one actual value of bitcoin / cryptocurrencies: we can be fairly sure that no one broke the used hashing algorithms (1). The valuation of these coins is such that not just any individual, but even a state actor would just go for it. (1) to such a degree that it would allow the attacker to create new blocks at will. Assume 1 bitcoin is $50k; break it only once a day and make over 15 million × block reward a…
Not at all... I mean if you break either the hash or the signature, then there are bigger fish to fry than just Bitcoin. You'd essentially be on your way to breaking much of the crypto used to secure significantly more valuable information -- the kind of information you measure with human lives rather than dollars. Actually, if you (or more likely a nation state actor) did break either the hash or signature, you'd be…
Interesting discussion from a few years ago in "What would you do if you discovered a sufficiently fast way to do prime factorization?" - https://www.reddit.com/r/compsci/comments/314ulw/what_would_...
Re: “Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC
#146This headline, “Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC, was pretty awesome until I got to the "PC" part.
Re: “Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC
#147Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not at all... I mean if you break either the hash or the signature, then there are bigger fish to fry than just Bitcoin. You'd essentially be on your way to breaking much of the crypto used to secure significantly more valuable information -- the kind of information you measure with human lives rather than dollars. Actually, if you (or more likely a nation state actor) did break either the hash or signature, you'd be…
Interesting discussion from a few years ago in "What would you do if you discovered a sufficiently fast way to do prime factorization?" - https://www.reddit.com/r/compsci/comments/314ulw/what_would_...
Old reddit link for convenience: https://old.reddit.com/r/compsci/comments/314ulw/what_would_...
Re: “Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC
#148Earlier quoted context omitted.
Consensus compatibility is nice, but Bitcoin has a unique problem: those old signatures own coins. Phasing out a signature algorithm means confiscating the coins in question, as the rightful owner will no longer be able to spend them anymore. Leaving them open would just let private actors break wallets to confiscate the coins themselves, with the added bonus that burnt or lost coins could be recovered, effectively i…
Not only that, but bazillions of coins are dead. My 4 bitcoins that were lost to a hard drive failure a decade ago are gone, and “reanimating” them wouldn’t even be theft.
would you mind pointing at those coins, perhaps even add relevant public key information if still known?
Re: “Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC
#149Earlier quoted context omitted.
Can anyone do long division other than children and those who pursue math academically? Seems impossible to imagine.
I guess a few advanced software developers may also be able to apply such a complex algorithm to a couple of integers.
Only a few. The most talented, to be sure.
Re: “Quantum-Safe” Crypto Hacked by 10-Year-Old PC
#150sort of offtopic but it reminds me of the first auto shop I worked in. I just got certified on a new laser alignment tool and had a chip on my shoulder for almost a week, until an old timer manually dialed in an alignment that checked out perfect on my shiny new gizmo. I'd never felt so humbled in my life and spent that whole summer practicing manual alignments.
Never underestimate the old eyecrometer