IBM Quantum Computer Demonstrates Crack of Simplified Cryptographic Key
Date: 2025-09-05 Author: Gabriel Deangelo Categories: CRYPTO PAYMENTS
Engineer Steve Tippeconic conducted an experiment with an IBM quantum computer, managing to pick up a private key to a six-bit cryptosystem based on ECC. To do this, he used the 133-qubit IBM Torino processor, which executed a 340,000-layer scheme and, based on it, restored private data using an open equation.
This case recalled a similar study conducted in June by Chinese scientists from Shanghai University, where the target of the attack was 22-bit RSA encryption.
However, experts assure that such achievements do not threaten the largest blockchains. The Bitcoin and Ethereum networks operate on the basis of ECC-256, and modern quantum computing power is not yet capable of coping with this level of protection. According to the researchers, an attack on a 256-bit key remains a distant prospect.
The founder of Pauli Group, Pierre-Luc Dallaire Demer, emphasized that further steps in the development of quantum algorithms are associated with the introduction of error correction methods. They will allow building deeper circuits and using reversible subroutines of modular arithmetic. The scientist also admitted that with the continuation of research of this kind in the future, an attack on ECC-256 is possible, but this will require a completely different level of resources.
Not all experts perceived Tippeconic's experiment as a serious achievement. Thus, a user under the nickname Adrian Morris noted that a six-bit key is too primitive for discussion: it consists of only 64 combinations that can be easily selected even manually. According to him, such statements only create unnecessary excitement in the media.
Recall that in July, a group of developers proposed new methods for protecting the Bitcoin blockchain from potential threats from quantum technologies. These developments are aimed at preemptively protecting the network in the event of further progress in the field of quantum computing. Thus, the IBM experiment rather demonstrates the direction of development of quantum research than poses a real threat to modern cryptocurrencies. Current achievements highlight the importance of preparing for the future, when computing capabilities reach a new level.
