Question 1

Is this a real quantum computer?

Accepted Answer

No. This is an educational simulation using accurate timing estimates and real cryptographic parameters to model what a Shor's algorithm attack would look like. No actual quantum computation is performed. The outcome (ECDSA breaks, ML-DSA does not) is accurate. The visual sequence is a model of the attack phases, not a live computation.

Question 2

Why does the ML-DSA attack stall at period finding?

Accepted Answer

Shor's algorithm exploits the periodic structure of functions in mathematical groups, specifically the discrete logarithm problem in elliptic curve groups (for ECDSA). ML-DSA is based on the Learning With Errors (LWE) problem over lattices, which does not have the same periodic structure that the quantum Fourier transform can exploit. There is no known quantum algorithm that provides significant speedup against LWE-based schemes.

Question 3

The private key shown after the ECDSA breach, is that a real derived key?

Accepted Answer

No. The private key displayed in the simulation is a randomly generated 256-bit hex string used for illustration only. In a real Shor's algorithm attack, the derived private key would be the actual key corresponding to the exposed public key. The simulation uses a placeholder to represent what would be exposed.

Question 4

Why 1,247 qubits and not the commonly cited 4,000?

Accepted Answer

The 4,000 logical qubit estimate was based on earlier research targeting RSA-2048. The March 2026 paper from Google and Caltech demonstrated that breaking ECDSA secp256k1 (used by Bitcoin and Ethereum) requires fewer logical qubits due to the mathematical structure of elliptic curves. The 1,200 to 1,247 range represents the more recent and more alarming research that directly targets blockchain cryptography.

Shor's Algorithm Live Attack Simulator

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