A new paper from cryptographers Dakshita Khurana and Kabir Tomer presents a major leap toward practical quantum cryptography by introducing a new building block called a one way puzzle. Unlike classical methods that depend on hard math problems known as NP problems, their approach uses quantum mechanics to create a system that could remain secure even if those classical problems are one day solved.
The breakthrough builds on earlier work by William Kretschmer and replaces traditional one way functions with quantum structures that can still support a wide range of cryptographic tasks. If future research confirms that quantum computers can outperform classical ones on specific problems like the matrix permanent, this new framework could establish quantum cryptography on firmer theoretical ground than ever before.
Source: Quanta Magazine, reported by Ben Brubaker
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