MIT: Quantum Computers Can’t Break Cryptocurrency Encryption Yet


The Massachusetts Institute of Technology believes that quantum computers may pose a threat to cryptocurrencies, but only in the future.

An article on the Technology Review portal by Sankar Das Sarma, an MIT researcher, explains that, in theory, quantum computers can break the cryptography of digital currencies. Although practically no one has yet proven this, at least on the example of the first cryptocurrency, bitcoin.

“Many people think that quantum computers are omnipotent. The most powerful machines now have processors with thousands of qubits. But in order to break the RSA encryption algorithm, you need a million or even a billion qubits,” says Das Sarma.

Das Sarma stressed that the problem with these computers is that only a small number of quantum processor qubits can be used to solve the problem. The rest of the qubits are used to detect and resolve errors, as well as other problems.

Earlier, Bits.Media published an article about the QRL blockchain – this network was created using the XMSS signature scheme, which makes it possible to protect the blockchain from hacking using quantum computers.

Source: Bits

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