5. New challenges in the age of quantum computing

How will cryptographic developments play out in the years ahead?

VuillaumeNew challenges will be to evolve effective new cryptographic and digital signature solutions for the era of quantum computing that is now beginning to unfold. In fact, the work described here to implement digital signatures on stand-alone memory chips without a CPU grew out of quantum computing related R&D initiatives. It always takes considerable time for cryptographic technologies to become established as standards. Yet in the meantime, we have seen incredible advances in the performance of computers. Cryptographic techniques that just a few years ago were said to be practically impenetrable and might take up to 100 years to crack can now be broken within a relatively short time using nothing but a PC. We therefore shouldn't delude ourselves into believing that the era of quantum computing is way off in the distant future.

(Publication: Jun. 30, 2009)