[mabbo]

In a sense, this is terrifying. I mean, the math nerd in me is delighted at the idea, but in all practical senses if someone were to stumble upon and share a usably fast factoring algorithm tomorrow, the sky would fall.

Sure, lots of crypto exists that isn't prime factoring based and we could move to that in a hurry- but it would be a lot like if we'd realized the Y2K problem on December 31st, 1999. Everything would need to be updated right now, immediately, today.

And yet part of me is kind of excited it could happen.

[Mirioron]

It wouldn't even be as tame as you mentioned. Any encrypted information that has been caught and stored would also become available.