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.

And if the latter were able to break RSA, it would’ve already done so.” He concludes: “All told, this is one of the most actively misleading quantum computing papers I’ve seen in 25 years.” ...

The method, outlined in a scientific paper published in late December, could be used to break the RSA algorithm that underpins most online encryption using a quantum machine with only 372 qubits ...