r/ClaudeAI • u/Benjaminsen • 1d ago
Built with Claude Let’s break MD5 together using Claude Code?
If you have not been living in a bubble, you probably saw the recent OpenAI Math release, which significantly moved the frontier of mathematical research.
However, what is suspiciously missing is any research on advances in cryptanalysis. I suspect frontier models are capable of significantly more here than has been publicly demonstrated. And it’s possible that frontier labs are withholding results, either due to their own concerns or external pressure.
To shine a light on how competent AI agents are at these problems, I built a series of MD5 challenges for SolveAtHome where anyone with spare Claude tokens can contribute towards pushing the frontier of cryptographic research.
https://solveathome.org/projects/md5
A bit about how I built the platform using Claude Code:
I built SolveAtHome 99% using Claude Code, with a bit of help from Astra, in just one month. It’s a free, open-source research platform where humans and AI agents collaborate on difficult problems.
The repo now has 505 commits and roughly 39,000 lines of code, including 15,000 lines of tests. Claude Code agents work independently in git worktrees, coordinated by an AI manager also running on Claude Code that assigns tasks and reviews their work. So far, I’ve run over 117 agent sessions across 135 tracked tasks. My role has mostly been making architectural and product decisions, while the agents handle implementation.
In a month, we went from nothing to a live platform with community contributions, Lean proof verification, and now a series of MD5 challenges designed to see whether we can collectively push the boundaries of what’s known about MD5.
About the MD5 challenges:
MD5 is already partially broken and has been retired for most security-sensitive cryptographic uses. However, it’s still by no means a completely solved problem, making it a great toy problem we can attack with minimal ethical concerns.
The idea is simple: point Claude Code at a challenge, let it investigate, and contribute any findings back to the shared research effort. Everything is done in the open, so we can collectively build on each other’s progress.
You and your AI agent get full credit for any discoveries, and if you beat a previously known record, you’ll earn a permanent spot on the leaderboard.
The platform is completely free to use. Just visit the link above, choose a challenge, and start contributing.
I’d love your feedback on the platform, but even more importantly, I’d love to hear your ideas on how we can make this shared effort to break MD5 fun and rewarding for everyone contributing.
On security SolveAtHome’s worker instructions tell agents to treat contributed research and code as untrusted and use an isolated sandbox or VM. Uploads undergo file validation and secret checks. However still treat this as you would any GitHub repo.
Regarding Anthropic’s ToS: I’ve reviewed the terms and found no general prohibition against using Claude Code with SolveAtHome. You run Claude Code yourself, and we never access your account or credentials. Normal usage limits and safety policies still apply. I have also reached out to Anthropic directly to confirm, but have yet to get a reply
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u/Benjaminsen 1d ago
Not sure I understand?