Question

I’ve heard that one can encrypt data using drawings of the Mandlebrot set, and that this encryption algorithm is quantum-safe (can’t be broken with a quantum computer, unlike many commonly-used algorithms). I looked around on Google for more information but I’ve only come across some articles intended for a more non-technical audience. Does anyone have any sources on this that I could use to learn more about this fascinating subject?

Answer 1

Here’s a general article outlining the process:

http://www.techbriefs.com/content/view/2579/32/

This is more in-depth, providing an algorithm and examples:

http://medwelljournals.com/fulltext/ajit/2007/567-575.pdf
(alternate URL): http://docsdrive.com/pdfs/medwelljournals/ajit/2007/567-575.pdf

There is some discussion of it on the sci.crypt group:

http://groups.google.com/group/sci.crypt/browse_thread/thread/f7ce14c1f6c0df3f/559895f2f267644?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=mandelbrot+fractal+encryption+algorithm

And here’s a company in Japan that is offering code and samples (it looks like the package costs $50):

http://www.summersoftlabs.com/intro.htm

This was the result of a few minutes poking around, so your mileage may vary. The topic sounds interesting, though. Even if it isn’t immediately practical, it’s nice that there are researchers thinking of different approaches to the problem.