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2511.001

The Impact of Entropy on Cryptographic Security: A Quantitative Analysis

S. Leverton and S. Chana

Frontier Technologies Laboratory, University of Cambridge

CryptographyBlockchainSecurity

Published: November 6, 2025

Abstract

This paper serves as an educational demonstration examining the relationship between entropy levels in cryptographic key generation and the resulting security strength of encryption systems. Through controlled laboratory testing at demonstration scale, we illustrate how increasing entropy significantly affects the difficulty of code breaking attempts. Our analysis compares classical and quantum computation techniques, providing visual representations of the exponential security benefits gained through higher entropy. While our experiments use simplified parameters (5 to 15 bit entropy) for educational clarity, the principles demonstrated scale to production systems using industry standard key sizes. The findings have significant implications for business leaders and investors evaluating cybersecurity technologies, particularly as quantum computing advances threaten traditional encryption methods. This research provides accessible evidence that high entropy randomness is a critical factor in maintaining robust cryptographic security, even as computational capabilities evolve.

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