A recent research paper makes the claim that the RSA cryptographic algorithm can be broken with a quantum algorithm. Skeptics warn: don’t believe everything you read.

The RSA algorithm is a feast of genius that combines theoretical math and practical coding into working asymmetric cryptography. Here’s how it works.

Some cryptographers are looking for RSA replacements because the algorithm is just one encryption algorithm that may be vulnerable to new machines that exploit quantum effects in electronics.

“On Feb. 14th, a research paper was submitted for publication stating that an alleged flaw has been found in the RSA encryption algorithm,” RSA said Thursday in a statement.

The RSA algorithm has become an encryption standard for many e-commerce security applications. The patent for it was issued to MIT on Sept. 20, 1983, and licensed exclusively to RSA Security.

There has been a lot of news lately about nefarious-sounding backdoors being inserted into cryptographic standards and toolkits. One algorithm, a pseudo-random bit generator, Dual_EC_DRBG, was ...

Manual lattice surgery mock-up of adder compute and uncompute steps. Credit: arXiv (2025). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2505.15917 ...

RSA and other encryption algorithms have been in use for decades with no known ways for them to be broken. Over the years, that track record has led to confidence that they are safe for use.

“On Feb. 14th, a research paper was submitted for publication stating that an alleged flaw has been found in the RSA encryption algorithm,” RSA said Thursday in a statement.