A QUICK POST ON CHEN'S ALGORITHM

Summary from the TLDR newsletter

A recent paper authored by Yilei Chen called 'Quantum Algorithms for Lattice Problems' has roiled the cryptography research community. The preprint, whose results are still being evaluated, claims a new quantum algorithm that efficiently solves the 'shortest independent vector problem' in lattices with specific parameters. If true, the result could allow future quantum computers to break schemes that depend on the hardness of specific instances of these problems. If the result can be improved upon, it could render an entire generation of 'post-quantum' lattice-based schemes obsolete, forcing cryptographers and the industry back to the drawing board.