NSA seeks to build quantum computer that could crack most types of encryption

The Washington Post ^ | January 2, 2014 | Steve Rich

[Biggirl]

In room-size metal boxes, secure against electromagnetic leaks, the National Security Agency is racing to build a computer that could break nearly every kind of encryption used to protect banking, medical, business and government records around the world.

According to documents provided by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, the effort to build “a cryptologically useful quantum computer” — a machine exponentially faster than classical computers — is part of a $79.7 million research program titled, “Penetrating Hard Targets.” Much of the work is hosted under classified contracts at a laboratory in College Park.

[Black Agnes]

Ping.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Reminds me of the scene from the movie, “Sneakers.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5bAa6gFvLs

[Lazamataz]

Just on the off-chance there is one single fact unknown about the domestic population.

I wish I could root for the NSA, I really do, but they have become the Orwellian enemy.

[FBD]

I feel safer already.

[JRandomFreeper]

NSA already has root.

/johnny

[tbw2]

So World War 2 message delivery messages are now the cutting edge of private communications.

[MeganC]

One-time cipher pads are still pretty safe so long as you just use them once.

[July4]

Our Marxist government is out to make slaves of us. There is absolutely no other explanation for this insanity. Edward Snowden is a hero. Every freedom-loving American should DEMAND that Mr. Snowden be welcomed home and absolved of all criminal charges.

Note to Rep. Peter King: You are dead wrong on this issue, and the Marxists will be coming after you as soon as they are through using you.

[Jack Hydrazine]

EST or GMT?

[Jack Hydrazine]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-time_pad

[polymuser]

“Quantum computers are extremely delicate, so if you don’t protect them from their environment, then the computation will be useless,"

Sounds like our uninformed voters. Or The One.

[jdege]

That quantum computer, however, would never be useful for breaking public key encryption like RSA.

That statement is a clear indication that the reporter didn't understand a single word of what he'd been told.

[SIRTRIS]

The Puzzle Palace: Inside the National Security Agency, America's Most Secret Intelligence Organization by James Bamford mandate: 5 years ahead of the street technology

[gaijin]

They at the NSA are Their Own State and we are as foreign to them as, say, Morocco or Madagascar.

To them we are The Wallet.

The Founders would have been shocked at the mere concept of what they do everyday there.

[montanajoe]

If the potential exists then the USA must have the technology. Our enemies certainly wouldn't be scared off of going forward by the revelations of a traitor...

[Monty22002]

No kidding, it cuts into RSA/ECC the best. With something like AES it will probably cut the bit strength in half. So AES256 will be like AES128. That means that AES256 will still be unbreakable in theory, while AES128 would suddenly be wide open as 56 effective bits wouldn’t take long to break.

ECC public encryption would probably be ok at 521bit level too, which is about the same as AES256. However there’s solid rumors that the ECC cipher specs were NSA tailored to be breakable by them anyway. It’s a real mess out there.

[Mastador1]

It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m..........

You need to go back a little further, remember this gem.

Colossus: The Forbin Project

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064177/