Shor's & Grover's Algorithms Explained

Quantum computers don't just run classical algorithms faster — they exploit quantum superposition and interference to solve certain problems exponentially faster. Two algorithms threaten most deployed cryptography: Shor's (breaks RSA/ECC) and Grover's (weakens symmetric/hash).

Shor's algorithm (1994) solves integer factorization and discrete logarithm in polynomial time on a quantum computer. This directly breaks RSA (based on factoring), Diffie-Hellman (discrete log mod p), and ECDH/ECDSA (elliptic curve discrete log).