Zero-knowledge proofs

New research from Anthropic shows that AI models can significantly accelerate classical attacks on cryptographic algorithms like HAWK and AES. This development poses a direct challenge to Bitcoin's proposed quantum-resistance plans by narrowing the window for secure migration.

Researchers at Google recently discovered a way to break 256-bit ECC encryption with much lower qubit counts than expected, but withheld their exact method using zero-knowledge proofs. The startup Eigen Labs successfully bypassed this secrecy by using AI agents and crowdsourcing to develop an even more efficient attack circuit.

Former Signal engineers have unveiled Encrypted Spaces, a framework for building end-to-end encrypted collaborative platforms. The system uses zero-knowledge proofs to allow servers to manage and verify data changes without ever accessing the underlying unencrypted information.