Reduction of the semigroup-action problem on a module to the hidden-subgroup problem

The discrete-logarithm problem and related problems are important in public-key cryptography; however, these problems can be reduced to the hidden-subgroup problem (HSP) of an abelian group, for which efficient quantum algorithms exist. This paper more broadly regards these problems as semigroup-action problems (SAPs) on different modules. The results prove that if the action on a module is injective or the cardinality of the hidden subgroup’s least generating set is less than or equal to that of the ring’s least generating set, the corresponding SAP on the module can be reduced to the HSP of an abelian group in polynomial time; therefore, most cryptosystems based on the SAP on a module cannot resist quantum cryptanalysis. The results are applicable to the discrete-logarithm problem and matrix-action problem on a group, along with other SAPs on a module. Such reduction is not be found for the SAP on the semi-module. The cryptographic systems based on SAPs on some semi-modules are likely to resist quantum attacks.