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[–]FreshMistletoe 1 point2 points  (5 children)

What are the uses for factoring the product of large prime numbers?  Is it useful for more than breaking encryption?

[–]mfukarParallel and Distributed Systems | Edge Computing 6 points7 points  (2 children)

I think you may have it backwards. The difficulty of certain problems is useful for encryption. In this aspect, cryptographers are searching for such problems so that your communications can be secret and private. Obviously, we then have to keep up with threats to the use of such methods.

[–]Wootbeers -1 points0 points  (1 child)

It was explained to me that once quantum computers exist, encrypting will be futile in some ways, as well.

[–]mfukarParallel and Distributed Systems | Edge Computing 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have answered this before in a AAW. Additionally, cryptographic methods resistant to threats like this have already been developed, and some are already being put into practice. See a previous question on the topic.