The goal of this website is to get people involved and excited about progress in quantum computing. If a large quantum computer is built tomorrow – what would you do with it? This website gives you at least one possibility – you can use this website to create messages that can only be decrypted using a quantum computer!
Quantum computers are a new kind of computer that is very fast, but only for solving some kinds of problems. Unlike today’s computers, which process information in binary (0s and 1s), quantum computers use a paradigm inspired by quantum physics, which allows them to solve some problems much faster. Scientists and engineers are working to build large and reliable quantum computers, though we currently have only small and error-prone prototypes. Computer scientists are also exploring ways to apply quantum computers to a wider range of problems.
Cryptography ensures secure communication over the internet. When we encrypt a message, it becomes garbled to anyone without the secret key:
Hello -> (*M#^ND#_&N#(hu49#j
It requires immense computational power to decrypt the message without the proper key. Only the intended receiver, who possesses the secret key, can easily decrypt the message.
Yes, quantum computers can break certain encryption algorithms, including RSA, which is widely used today.
The security of RSA relies on the difficulty of factorizing large numbers, whereas multiplying numbers is straightforward. For example, if I tell you I multiplied two numbers to get 62710561, determining which two numbers I used is difficult. However, if I tell you to multiply 7919 and 7919, you can easily compute the result. Quantum computers can factorize large numbers efficiently, undermining the security of RSA.
Not necessarily. We are transitioning from RSA to quantum-resistant cryptographic systems. Quantum computers can only solve specific problems quickly. Once we adopt these new cryptographic methods, messages will remain secure even when large quantum computers are built.
This website deliberately uses RSA to encrypt messages so that they are secure today but can be broken once powerful quantum computers become available.
Once a large quantum computer with about 15,000 qubits (with negligible noise) is built, it will become possible to decrypt these messages (see arXiv paper). However, advancements may reduce the required number of qubits.
This could happen in the next 15 to 30 years (see Quantum Threat Timeline). When this occurs, you will likely hear about it in the news. If you provide us with your email address, we'll notify you, or you can check back on this website.
Currently, you cannot decrypt the message. We don't expect decryption to be feasible for at least the next 15 years. Once large quantum computers are operational, we'll provide tools on this website to help you decrypt your message, or you can use the RSA cryptosystem yourself.
Yes, it is! But now you have one more reason to look forward to the advancements in quantum computing.