cryptography

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.

A new cryptography paper describes a method for forging 1024-bit RSA signatures at a cost close to that of the Special Number Field Sieve, an algorithm for factoring large integers. If confirmed, the result would significantly lower the practical security margin of 1024-bit RSA keys, which are still found in older systems, and renew calls to migrate to 2048-bit keys or elliptic-curve cryptography.

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 new essay on the Cryptography Engineering blog asks whether sandboxing is sufficient to contain rogue autonomous AI agents. The piece examines whether technical isolation can really restrain software agents that misbehave or act beyond their intended goals. Readers are debating the limits of sandboxing as a safety measure as AI agents are deployed more widely.

Cloudflare announced on Tuesday that it plans to issue quantum-proof TLS certificates, positioning itself among the first certificate authorities to deploy cryptography designed to withstand attacks from quantum computers. The move is aimed at future-proofing web encryption as quantum computing advances, and it is drawing attention among security and privacy observers discussing the shift to post-quantum cryptography.

Developers are being reminded that most cryptographic code running in modern programs was written by someone else, usually in third-party libraries. A cryptography inventory that only lists lines in a project's own source misses these dependencies. The argument is that proper audits must name the actual module providing each cryptographic function, a point seen as increasingly important for fintech and security-sensitive software.

A technology chief executive has publicly warned that advances in quantum computing could eventually threaten the encryption underpinning Bitcoin, raising concerns about the security of the cryptocurrency. The warning has fuelled broader debate about how prepared crypto networks are for quantum-era attacks and whether a transition to post-quantum cryptography is needed.

A claim of a mathematical proof that memory hardness cannot be reversed is circulating among cryptography and information security enthusiasts. The discussion centers on whether such a result would hold, since it would have implications for password hashing and memory-hard functions used to slow brute-force attacks. Details of the argument itself remain thin, and experts have yet to weigh in publicly on its validity.

Shor's algorithm, a quantum algorithm for finding the prime factors of an integer, was developed in 1994 by American mathematician Peter Shor. Its theoretical existence has driven a global shift toward post-quantum cryptography, as a sufficiently powerful quantum computer running it could break widely used encryption methods such as RSA that protect much of today's digital communication.

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.

wolfSSL announced that its TLS library now supports the ACE cryptographic accelerator on NXP's S32K3 microcontrollers. The integration enables hardware-accelerated encryption on the automotive-grade S32K3 family, improving performance and efficiency for embedded security applications. The announcement is circulating among embedded and cryptography communities interested in secure automotive and industrial systems.

Bitcoin Magazine has published an analysis arguing that quantum computing does not currently threaten Bitcoin. The piece, part of a dedicated 'Quantum Issue', contends that fears about quantum computers breaking Bitcoin's cryptography and stealing coins are overstated for the foreseeable future. The article is prompting discussion in crypto circles about how real the quantum risk to digital assets actually is.

The US National Security Agency has announced new post-quantum cryptography measures to protect national security systems from future threats posed by quantum computers. The move is part of a broader government push to transition encryption standards before quantum machines become capable of breaking current cryptographic protections used across government and defence networks.

wolfSSL announced that its wolfCOSE library now supports COSE HPKE encryption, combining the CBOR Object Signing and Encryption standard with Hybrid Public Key Encryption. The company positions the update as strengthening lightweight, standards-based cryptography for embedded and IoT devices that use wolfSSL products.