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Cyber-Physical Systems

Leveraging the power of quantum computing for breaking RSA encryption

Moolchand Sharma, Vikas Choudhary, R. S. Bhatia, Sahil Malik, Anshuman Raina, Harshit Khandelwal

Published Sep 3, 2020• 44 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Encryption is the process of securing confidential data that bars a third party’s access to the information.RSA encryption utilises the property of complexity classes wherein the problem of prime integer factorization lies inside the Non-Polynomial time (NP-Hard) class, which makes it impervious to classical computers. Since it is so hard to break even for a computer, it becomes important to do encryption for all the secure transactions. Although it lies outside the capabilities of traditional computing, the recent developments in the field of quantum computing can be utilised to break RSA Encryption. The approach involves mapping of qubits used in a quantum machine to a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) and then using them to check for factors. This consists of the use of a Multiplicative Boolean circuit in which the qubits utilised by the machine replaces the variables. These Qubits are then mapped as per the gates involved, and the factorization problem is thus transformed into a CSP problem, through which, the factors can be easily found. Once known, these factors can be used to calculate the public and private keys effectively breaking the encryption security. We provide a novel approach to highlight the importance of developing Post-Quantum cryptography techniques for providing a secure channel of communication.

DOI
10.1080/23335777.2020.1811384

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Encryption is the process of securing confidential data that bars a third party’s access to the information.RSA encryption utilises the property of complexity classes wherein the problem of prime integer factorization lies inside the Non-Polynomial time (NP-Hard) class, which makes it impervious to classical computers. Since it is so hard to break even for a computer, it becomes important to do encryption for all the secure transactions. Although it lies outside the capabilities of traditional computing, the recent developments in the field of quantum computing can be utilised to break RSA Encryption. The approach involves mapping of qubits used in a quantum machine to a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) and then using them to check for factors. This consists of the use of a Multiplicative Boolean circuit in which the qubits utilised by the machine replaces the variables. These Qubits are then mapped as per the gates involved, and the factorization problem is thus transformed into a CSP problem, through which, the factors can be easily found. Once known, these factors can be used to calculate the public and private keys effectively breaking the encryption security. We provide a novel approach to highlight the importance of developing Post-Quantum cryptography techniques for providing a secure channel of communication.
Quantum computing, however young, challenges the most popular public-key encryption techniques. Due to their ability to solve the key distribution problem and provide high security in insecure communications channels that allow website access, email exchange, financial transactions, digitally signed documents, military communications, and medical data, such systems are vital to Internet security today. RSA, ECC, and Diffie Hellman are increasingly used globally. Internet protocols like Transport Layer Security (TLS) used by ordinary PCs and IoT devices increasingly include these systems. Because many IoT devices are battery-powered and have limited processing power and memory, they need energy-efficient and lightweight algorithms to provide effective security. These constraints become critical when developing cryptosystems that require extensive mathematical operations and significant computing resources, often needed in defence, mission-critical, or intelligent healthcare applications where data privacy must be maintained over time. Scientists are striving to protect IoT devices against quantum computing. This study will demonstrate how quantum computing can break RSA in polynomial time, something conventional computers cannot do due to processing power constraints. It will show how quantum computing could effect blockchain and wallet signatures, which employ the RSA cryptosystem for key encryption. Quantum computers with more qubits will crack factorization cyphers faster.
The rapid advancement of quantum computing presents a significant challenge to classical cryptographic systems that underpin modern digital security infrastructures. In particular, RSA-2048 encryption, widely deployed in banking and financial institutions for secure transactions, relies on the computational hardness of integer factorization. However, the emergence of quantum algorithms—especially Shor’s algorithm—poses a fundamental threat to RSA security by enabling polynomial-time factorization of large integers on sufficiently powerful quantum computers. This case study investigates the vulnerability of RSA-2048 within a banking environment, analyzing the mathematical foundations of the threat, potential timelines for quantum feasibility, and associated cybersecurity risks. The study further examines the implications for financial data protection, digital signatures, and secure communication channels. In response to these emerging risks, the paper explores post-quantum cryptographic alternatives, including lattice-based, hash-based, and code-based schemes, and evaluates their suitability for banking applications. The findings emphasize the urgency of transitioning toward quantum-resistant cryptographic frameworks and propose strategic recommendations for proactive cryptographic migration to ensure long-term data confidentiality and system resilience.
The advent of a full-scale quantum computer will severely impact most currently-used cryptographic systems.The most well-known aspect of this impact lies in the computational-hardness assumptions that underpin the security of most current public-key cryptographic systems: a quantum computer can factor integers and compute discrete logarithms in polynomial time, thereby breaking systems based on these problems.However, simply replacing these problems by other which are (believed to be) impervious even to a quantum computer does not completely solve the issue.Indeed, many security proofs of cryptographic systems are no longer valid in the presence of a quantum-capable attacker; while this does not automatically implies that the affected systems would be broken by a quantum computer, it does raises questions on the exact security guarantees that they can provide.This overview document aims to analyze all aspects of the impact of quantum computers on cryptographic, by providing an overview of current quantum-hard computational problems (and cryptographic systems based on them), and by presenting the security proofs that are affected by quantum-attackers, detailing what is the current status of research on the topic and what the expected effects on security are.
Cryptography is crucial for protecting private information. However, the emergence of quantum computing poses a significant threat to the security of classical cryptographic systems. Traditional algorithms such as RSA can be vulnerable to quantum attacks. Shor's quantum algorithm can break RSA encryption in polynomial time. This article examines the RSA cryptosystem, the impact of quantum computing on cryptography, the challenges of quantum computing, and its applications in various fields. The article also presents an experiment comparing traditional and Shor factorization methods for semi-prime numbers. Although the experiment does not involve factoring extremely large numbers, it demonstrates the simplicity of implementing algorithms. By conducting experiments and analysing the results, computer science students can better understand the principles of quantum computing, its capabilities, and limitations, and develop practical skills.
The ongoing development of Quantum Computing (QC) is a breakthrough paradigm that holds the power to revolutionize the way we process information and solve complex problems today. Quantum Computation works on the fundamental principles of Superposition and Entanglement, enabling Quantum Computers to Leverage the power of Physics in Computing. QC has the potential to revolutionize fields such as Drug Development, Financial Modeling, Optimization, and Cryptography. Shor’s algorithm, a quantum algorithm used to factorize large numbers, poses significant threats to RSA, a widely used public key cryptosystem. RSA relies on the difficulty of factoring large semi-primes to keep its security. Shor's algorithm's ability to factorize quickly on a quantum computer undermines RSA's security assumptions, necessitating the exploration of post-quantum cryptographic solutions to ensure secure communication in the quantum era. The goal of this paper is to assess the present state of Shor's algorithm implementation and efficiency, specifically its application in the context of compromising public key cryptosystems like RSA.
The ongoing development of Quantum Computing (QC) is a breakthrough paradigm that holds the power to revolutionize the way we process information and solve complex problems today. Quantum Computation works on the fundamental principles of Superposition and Entanglement, enabling Quantum Computers to Leverage the power of Physics in Computing. QC has the potential to revolutionize fields such as Drug Development, Financial Modeling, Optimization, and Cryptography. Shor’s algorithm, a quantum algorithm used to factorize large numbers, poses significant threats to RSA, a widely used public key cryptosystem. RSA relies on the difficulty of factoring large semi-primes to keep its security. Shor's algorithm's ability to factorize quickly on a quantum computer undermines RSA's security assumptions, necessitating the exploration of post-quantum cryptographic solutions to ensure secure communication in the quantum era. The goal of this paper is to assess the present state of Shor's algorithm implementation and efficiency, specifically its application in the context of compromising public key cryptosystems like RSA.