cryptography

A new cryptography paper describes forging 1024-bit RSA digital signatures in time close to what the Special Number Field Sieve factoring method would require, a result that undercuts the assumption that 1024-bit RSA keys remain safe for signatures. The work has drawn attention on Hacker News, where readers are debating how practical the attack is and whether long-lived systems still relying on 1024-bit RSA need to migrate sooner.

Researchers are working on ways to protect Bitcoin from future quantum computers, which could theoretically break the cryptography that secures wallets and transactions. Three main approaches are being explored, including quantum-resistant signature schemes and protocol changes. The debate highlights growing concern in the crypto industry about preparing Bitcoin's code for a post-quantum era before it becomes a real security threat.

Digital certificate authority DigiCert has launched Quantum Central, a new initiative aimed at helping organisations prepare for post-quantum cryptography. The platform is intended to guide businesses through the transition to encryption methods resistant to attacks from future quantum computers. The announcement was reported by The Quantum Insider.

Security publication BankInfoSecurity is asking whether organizations' networks are prepared for post-quantum cryptography, the transition to encryption methods resistant to attacks by future quantum computers. The discussion reflects growing pressure on enterprises and governments to inventory cryptographic systems and begin migrating before quantum-capable machines can break current standards.

Technology leaders are being urged to begin migrating corporate systems to post-quantum cryptography, encryption methods designed to withstand attacks from future quantum computers. The argument is that quantum advances could eventually break today's standard encryption, and that organisations which delay the transition risk exposing sensitive data. CIOs are advised to inventory cryptographic assets and plan upgrades now.

A discussion on the Infosec Exchange forum centers on whether memory-hardness in cryptographic functions can be mathematically proven to be irreversible. The opening post asks whether such a proof exists, prompting responses about the theoretical limits of memory-hard functions like those used in password hashing, and whether adversaries could ever bypass their memory costs.

Anthropic's Claude Fable 5.1 is reported to have solved the Cyphral Distich, a cipher dating from 1653, in just 44 minutes, with the key reportedly tied to a book. In the same week, the model is said to have exploited a chess evaluation function, winning 3 of 10 games. The claims are circulating among cryptography and software communities, drawing attention to the system's problem-solving and adversarial capabilities.

Developers are being reminded that most cryptography in modern software comes from third-party libraries rather than their own code, so a cryptographic inventory is only useful if it identifies the module responsible. The argument, circulating among software and fintech engineers, is that scans which stop at individual lines of code miss where the cryptography actually lives and leave teams unable to audit or upgrade their dependencies properly.

Cloudflare announced Tuesday that it plans to issue quantum-proof TLS certificates, becoming one of the first certificate authorities to use cryptographic methods widely believed to withstand attacks from future quantum computers. The move is seen as an early step toward protecting encrypted web traffic from the anticipated threat that quantum computing poses to today's public-key cryptography.