https://hackerpaper.kaipfister.de/p/quant-ph_9503007/Collected HN comments and submissions linking this paper.enMon, 02 Nov 2026 11:16:22 GMThttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4932628urn:hackerpapers:mention:quant-ph_9503007:4932628Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:32:39 GMT<p>To clarify a bit further, only a few cryptosystems (certain public key systems) are really threatened by quantum computers. Theoretically, literature indicates that quantum computers are really good at factoring large numbers [1], and they are really good at solving discrete log problems [2]. So yes, QCs are theoretically able to crack in linear time some systems whose security depends on those problems being hard (eg ElGamal, RSA). But systems that don&#x27;t rely on large primes/discrete logs (eg symmetric algorithms like AES) are not vulnerable to quantum computers. (At least not vulnerable in…</p><p><a href="https://hackerpaper.kaipfister.de/p/quant-ph_9503007/">Paper and discussion history</a>. A mention is not an endorsement.</p>quant-ph