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Researchers Identify 'Master Problem' Underlying All Cryptography

The Quanta Podcast

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Cryptography and One Way Functions

Five decades ago, cryptographers showed that it's possible to create provably secure ciphers if you have access to a one way function. Today, the internet protocols for tasks like transmitting credit card numbers and digital signatures depend on these functions. But none of the functions currently and use have ever been definitively proved to be one way functions. We don't even know for sure that true one way functions exist.

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