The research team, led by Wang Chao from Shanghai University, found that D-Wave’s quantum computers can optimize problem-solving in a way that makes it possible to attack encryption methods such as RSA
In a potentially alarming development for global cybersecurity, Chinese researchers have unveiled a method using D-Wave’s quantum annealing systems to crack classic encryption, potentially accelerating the timeline for when quantum computers could pose a real threat to widely used cryptographic systems.
Published in the Chinese Journal of Computers under the title “Quantum Annealing Public Key Cryptographic Attack Algorithm Based on D-Wave Advantage,” the paper outlined how D-Wave’s machines were used to break RSA encryption and attack symmetric encryption systems, raising serious questions about the future of cybersecurity.
The research team, led by Wang Chao from Shanghai University, found that D-Wave’s quantum computers can optimize problem-solving in a way that makes it possible to attack encryption methods such as RSA.
“Using the D-Wave Advantage, we successfully factored a 22-bit RSA integer, demonstrating the potential for quantum machines to tackle cryptographic problems,” the researchers wrote in the paper.
The study highlights how quantum annealing can turn cryptographic attacks into combinatorial optimization problems, making them easier to solve.
“This is the first time that a real quantum computer has posed a substantial threat to multiple full-scale SPN structured algorithms in use today,” the researchers noted, referring to widely used encryption methods based on the Substitution-Permutation Network (SPN) structure… Source