Replace IBM Quantum back end with /dev/urandom (github.com)

Article summary

A recent submission to the Q-Day Prize, which claimed to have performed a quantum attack on an elliptic curve cryptography key using IBM Quantum hardware, has been disputed by replacing the quantum computer with /dev/urandom and still achieving the same results. The disputed submission recovered a 17-bit elliptic curve key, which is considered a relatively small key size. The replacement with /dev/urandom suggests that the quantum computer may not have been contributing any meaningful quantum effects to the solution. The author of the disputed submission had been awarded 1 BTC for their claim.

Main themes

• Quantum Computing
• Cryptography
• Elliptic Curve Cryptography
• Classical vs Quantum Computing
• Scientific Validation
• Misleading Claims

What commenters say

• The quantum computer's contribution to the solution is indistinguishable from that of a random number generator, suggesting that the solution is classical rather than quantum.
• The disputed submission's results can be achieved with a classical computer and do not demonstrate any meaningful quantum effects.
• The awarding of the Q-Day Prize to the disputed submission may have been premature and based on incomplete validation of the results.
• The use of small key sizes in cryptography challenges can make it difficult to distinguish between classical and quantum solutions.
• The disputed submission's code and methodology have been criticized for being opaque and lacking proper validation.
• Some commenters argue that the goal of quantum computing research is not necessarily to be faster than classical computing, but to demonstrate quantum effects.
• Others argue that the disputed submission's results are not statistically significant and do not provide sufficient evidence of quantum computing.