While I believe the NSA does not have such a machine for different
   reasons, in particular that I don't think it's possible for them to get
   that far ahead of the state-of-the-art, I think it's something of a
   leap from "NSA doesn't have good internal security" to "NSA wouldn't
   provide good internal security to a computer system that far ahead of
   the state of the art." If they ARE hiding a quantum computer, that
   would make it more likely that there is an extremely strong compartment
   where they put their most precious secrets, while they lead the rest of
   the world to think the compartment Snowden had access to *was* that
   compartment.

   On Wed, Feb 10, 2016 at 11:16 AM grarpamp <[1]grarpamp@gmail.com>
   wrote:

     ---------- Forwarded message ----------
     From: Phillip Hallam-Baker <[2]phill@hallambaker.com>
     Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2016 23:49:40 -0500
     Subject: [Cryptography] Proof that the NSA does not have a quantum
     computer capable of attacking public key crypto (yet)
     To: "[3]cryptography@metzdowd.com" <[4]cryptography@metzdowd.com>
     Proof that the NSA does not have a quantum computer capable of
     attacking public key crypto (yet)
     A) Assume that the NSA has such a machine.
     >From A it follows that the machine can be used to forge bitcoin
     transfers.
     B) Large areas of the bitcoin mining pool have never been spent.
     A,B) Anyone with a QC could use it to break the keys of the wallets
     holding $500 million.
     C) This has not happened.
     D) The NSA has awful internal security, (see Snowden). NSA resources
     are known to have been diverted for LOVINT. It is unlikely NSA
     employees are more honest than those of federal law enforcement
     whose
     investigator ripped off the Silk Road operator for at least half a
     million. The third in command at the CIA was recently prosecuted and
     copped a plea for participating in the 'Duke' Cunningham bribery
     ring
     poker and prostitutes parties at the Watergate. Oh and Secret
     Service... need I go on.
     C,D) it follows that the NSA is not capable of breaking bitcoin
     Therefore NSA does not have a quantum computer (yet).
     _______________________________________________
     The cryptography mailing list
     [5]cryptography@metzdowd.com
     [6]http://www.metzdowd.com/mailman/listinfo/cryptography

References

   1. mailto:grarpamp@gmail.com
   2. mailto:phill@hallambaker.com
   3. mailto:cryptography@metzdowd.com
   4. mailto:cryptography@metzdowd.com
   5. mailto:cryptography@metzdowd.com
   6. http://www.metzdowd.com/mailman/listinfo/cryptography