For all its potential benefits, quantum computing poses one clearly identified threat — the ability to compromise nearly all current digital encryption. Although a quantum computer that is large and sophisticated enough to crack the code — known as a cryptanalytically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) — doesn’t exist yet, the public and private sectors need to prepare.
Why It Matters
Present-day public-key encryption uses an algorithm based in part on solving complex math problems that are difficult for conventional computers to handle. Unfortunately, that task becomes very easy for the right quantum computer, which can run many possibilities simultaneously. Developing such a quantum computer is an attractive goal for adversaries, both national and criminal.
In addition, it’s believed that bad actors are already collecting and storing stolen data with the intent of de-encrypting it when the technology is available. Companies and agencies that store sensitive information for many years are especially vulnerable.
What’s New
NIST finalized its first set of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards in August 2024 and initiated the transition to quantum resistant public-key algorithms in federal applications. The new standard algorithms are based on math problems that can defeat both conventional and quantum computers and can secure electronic data ranging from email messages to national security information.
Though the PQC standards give organizations the tools to begin to quantumproof their data, the transition requires a major overhaul of digital infrastructure and will take years to fully implement. NIST and The National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence have launched the Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography project to raise awareness of the challenges in migrating to the new, quantum-resistant algorithms. The goal is to prepare the public and private sectors before the CRQC can be unleashed.
This article appears in our guide, “Quantum Computing: What You Need to Know Today.” To learn more about this important technology, download it here: