It’s no secret that quantum computers will soon pose a threat to the traditional cryptographic methods that keep our information secure.
[Updated post-NIST PQC announcement in August 2024]
In every industry, the technology that protects data, devices, components and connections will need to be modernized to become secure against attacks by quantum computers.
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC), sometimes known as quantum-proof, quantum-safe or quantum-resistant cryptography, refers to cryptographic algorithms (usually public-key algorithms) that have been specifically designed to defend against attacks by quantum computers. For the last few years, a concerted effort has been made to develop and standardise these algorithms. Worldwide, governments and regulatory bodies all recognize this, and are working on regulations that will mandate the transition to post-quantum cryptography.
This whitepaper summarises the current state of the PQC standards and the governmental regulations.
It especially highlights the US Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite (CNSA) 2.0 which mandates software/firmware signing to use quantum-safe signatures as the default option by 2025, and as the only option by 2030.
