Quantum Breakthrough: Chinese Scientists Use D-Wave Computer to Crack RSA Encryption
Chinese scientists at Shanghai University have determined that a quantum computer from the Canadian firm D-Wave can effectively break a widely used encryption method.
The researchers discovered that the D-Wave quantum computer can target Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) encryption, which is utilized by web browsers, VPNs, email services, and chips from companies like Samsung and LG. Additionally, it can attack the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which was adopted by the US government in 2001.
The study outlines two technical approaches based on the quantum annealing algorithm. One method employs a pure quantum algorithm, while the other combines quantum annealing with a classical algorithm to implement an attack on RSA public key cryptography.
Using a D-Wave Advantage quantum computer, the researchers successfully achieved the “first 50-bit RSA integer decomposition,” according to a translation. D-Wave quantum computers, which can be rented via a quantum cloud service for approximately $2,000 per hour, are far more expensive to purchase (in 2017, a D-Wave quantum computer cost about $15 million).
“Our findings demonstrate that D-Wave’s quantum technology can efficiently target encryption systems that safeguard sensitive data globally,” the researchers said.
In the past, experts have dismissed quantum computers as “useless,” and the excitement surrounding them as “unnecessary.” However, last year, The Global Risk Institute, a Canadian organization evaluating the financial risks of global events, reported that most cryptography experts it surveyed believe quantum computers will be able to break RSA-2048 encryption within 24 hours in the next 30 years.
Apple has also previously acknowledged the impending quantum threat. Earlier this year, it introduced a new security protocol called PQ3 for its encrypted iOS messaging app, iMessage, to better protect customer data from future quantum decryption.
“Even though they can’t decrypt this data today, they can store it until they acquire a quantum computer that can decrypt it in the future, a scenario known as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later,” Apple’s research team stated in February.
In 2022, Chinese researchers proposed a method to break RSA-2048 encryption, but noted that their technique would require “millions of qubits,” which is far beyond current technology. In contrast, the D-Wave Advantage quantum computer has over 5,000 qubits.
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