--- title: Guest Post: The Next Threat to Encryption May Not Need a... description: AI-assisted mathematical research, not just quantum computers, may be the next threat to encryption. OpenAI reported on 26 October 2026 that its AI refuted the... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/guest-post-the-next-threat-to-encryption-may-not-need-a-quantum-computer-borsyeefj twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Guest Post: The Next Threat to Encryption May Not Need a Quantum Computer | daily.dev og:description: AI-assisted mathematical research, not just quantum computers, may be the next threat to encryption. OpenAI reported on 26 October 2026 that its AI refuted the... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/guest-post-the-next-threat-to-encryption-may-not-need-a-quantum-computer-borsyeefj og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/borsyeeFj.png og:image:alt: Guest Post: The Next Threat to Encryption May Not Need a Quantum Computer og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Guest Post: The Next Threat to Encryption May Not Need a Quantum Computer **[The Quantum Insider](https://daily.dev/sources/thequantuminsider)** · 6 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary AI-assisted mathematical research, not just quantum computers, may be the next threat to encryption. OpenAI reported on 26 October 2026 that its AI refuted the Exponential Time Hypothesis, a longstanding conjecture about computational growth, though the result remains theoretical. Separately, Anthropic used AI to improve an attack on HAWK, a post-quantum signature scheme, recovering a secret key in a small experimental version; HAWK's developers withdrew it on 29 July. NIST says its finalised post-quantum standards are unaffected. The authors argue businesses should keep adopting standardised post-quantum cryptography and consider quantum key distribution only as a complement for select sensitive links. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### Why was the HAWK post-quantum signature scheme withdrawn? HAWK's developers withdrew it on 29 July 2026 after Anthropic researchers used AI assistance to improve an attack and recover a secret signing key in a small experimental version of the scheme. The research effort took roughly 60 hours and about $100,000 in model usage; attacking full-sized versions remained impractical. NIST stated the finding does not affect its already-finalized post-quantum standards. _Track emerging risks to post-quantum algorithms like HAWK as you plan which standards to adopt on daily.dev._ ### What did OpenAI's AI do with the Exponential Time Hypothesis? OpenAI reported on 26 October 2026 that its AI had refuted the Exponential Time Hypothesis, a longstanding unproved conjecture that no general method can avoid exponential growth in work needed for the hardest 3-SAT-style constraint problems. The released method escapes that growth barrier and counts valid combinations; it was checked in the Lean proof assistant while independent researchers review it, though a theoretical improvement can still be impractically slow in practice. _Developers weighing crypto assumptions can follow AI-driven theory breakthroughs like this one on daily.dev._ ### Should companies use quantum key distribution instead of post-quantum cryptography? No, quantum key distribution (QKD) should be considered only as a complement to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) on selected sensitive links, not a replacement. QKD needs dedicated equipment, suitable optical connections, and a separate way to verify participants; it doesn't replace digital signatures or protect a compromised computer. The NSA does not currently recommend QKD for national security systems, and the UK's NCSC rejects it for government and military use, while ETSI treats it as complementary to PQC. _Teams deciding between QKD and PQC migration paths can weigh these trade-offs through daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Study: AI Could Speed Quantum Threats — And Help Build Defenses](https://daily.dev/posts/study-ai-could-speed-quantum-threats-and-help-build-defenses-aqsbjuvcx) · The Quantum Insider · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Quantum meets AI: The next cybersecurity battleground](https://daily.dev/posts/quantum-meets-ai-the-next-cybersecurity-battleground-77gxz54bu) · CSO Online · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Quantum-resistant key management for AI model deployments.](https://daily.dev/posts/quantum-resistant-key-management-for-ai-model-deployments--cc8tjic8k) · Security Boulevard · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#quantum-computing](https://daily.dev/tags/quantum-computing), [#cryptography](https://daily.dev/tags/cryptography) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/guest-post-the-next-threat-to-encryption-may-not-need-a-quantum-computer-borsyeefj) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Guest Post: The Next Threat to Encryption May Not Need a Quantum Computer","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/guest-post-the-next-threat-to-encryption-may-not-need-a-quantum-computer-borsyeefj","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/guest-post-the-next-threat-to-encryption-may-not-need-a-quantum-computer-borsyeefj"},"datePublished":"2026-10-27T17:08:49.217Z","dateModified":"2026-10-27T17:12:41.105Z","description":"AI-assisted mathematical research, not just quantum computers, may be the next threat to encryption. 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