Cumhuriyet5 minutes agoTech2 min readTürkiyeView original

Your bank password can be cracked within 3 days: Warning of cyber apocalypse in the global financial system

Alice & Bob researchers have revealed that RSA-2048 encryption can be broken within days with cat qubits technology.

quantum computer rsa-2048 cat qubits

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Paris-based Alice & Bob researchers have proven that a quantum computer with 22,593 cat qubits can crack RSA-2048 encryption in 3.14 days.
Experts emphasize that quantum-resistant encryption standards should be adopted by the early 2030s.

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Why It Matters

RSA-2048 is the basic encryption standard used to protect today's digital data. Shor's Algorithm allows quantum computers to decipher these codes much faster than classical systems.

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It turns out that the RSA-2048 encryption infrastructure, which forms the basis of the global network from internet banking to personal data privacy, from government archives to digital data transfers, is much more fragile than thought. Recent mathematical modeling conducted by researchers at Paris-based quantum technologies firm Alice & Bob has shown that advanced quantum computers could render existing digital security shields useless within days. The scientific report published on the Cryptology ePrint Archive platform confirmed that superconducting "cat qubits" technology radically shortens password cracking times.

DIGITAL LOCKS ARE SHATTERED WITH 23 THOUSAND CUBITS OF POWER

The security of digital data is based on the RSA-2048 mathematical lock system, which is obtained by multiplying two giant prime numbers and takes thousands of years to break with classical computers. However, the Shor Algorithm, developed by famous mathematician Peter Shor, accelerates this process exponentially with quantum processors.

According to the latest resource calculations; A single quantum computer with 22,593 cat qubits can factorize and deactivate the RSA-2048 key that protects the world banking system in just 3.14 days. In the scenario where 10 interconnected quantum machines are used, this password cracking time is reduced to 1.25 hours.

BITCOIN PASSWORDS CAN BE DISABLED IN UNDER AN HOUR

The research team also examined elliptic curve digital signature systems, which are the security basis of cryptocurrency markets. Calculations revealed that a quantum infrastructure of 29,588 cat qubits could break the digital locks protecting Bitcoin ownership in 61.8 minutes.

However, experts emphasize that since Bitcoin block confirmation times are limited to 10 minutes, it is not yet possible to directly steal crypto assets in the transfer phase under current conditions, but the system is still at long-term risk.

ERROR-PROOF TECHNOLOGY BORN FROM SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT

"Bit drift" errors, which are the biggest obstacle of quantum computers, are overcome by the cat qubit architecture in which photons are loaded into the system. In this method, named after the famous "Schrödinger's Cat" thought experiment, photons trapped in a metal oscillator exponentially suppress quantum instability.

Alice & Bob quantum physicists managed to increase the qubit stability time to a record level by adding 11 photons to the system. The stability time of standard qubits, which is limited to milliseconds, was increased to 44 minutes with the new method.

NEW SECURITY STANDARDS MUST BE ADOPTED IN THE EARLY 2030s

Today, there is no functional quantum computer with 23 thousand qubits yet. Although the largest experimental array in the world remains at 6,100 qubits, it is predicted that hardware developments and decreasing resource requirements will intersect in the early 2030s.

Scientists and cybersecurity experts warn that current RSA-2048 encryption standards should be completely phased out in the early 2030s and an urgent switch to new generation encryption infrastructures that are resistant to quantum attacks.