Post-quantum Cryptography, Basic 101
Keeping it real. Every few weeks we need to remind ourselves of the basics. Post-quantum cryptography, quantum-safe cryptography or quantum-resistant cryptography, if you will, is a hot topic in the business world. Without question, quantum computing’s impacts will have global ramifications. Good piece to get a reminder, or primer, on this very important topic of cybersecurity with the advent of quantum computing. Qubit.
Explainer: What is post-quantum cryptography?
Selected notes ~
+ Quantum computers could undermine these cryptographic defenses. The machines aren’t powerful enough to do this today, but they are evolving fast. It’s possible that in a little more than a decade—and perhaps even sooner—these machines could be a threat to widely used cryptography methods. That’s why researchers and security firms are racing to develop new approaches to cryptography that will be able to withstand future quantum attacks mounted by hackers.
The race is on to create new ways to protect data and communications from the threat posed by super-powerful quantum computers.
+ What is post-quantum cryptography? It’s the development of new kinds of cryptographic approaches that can be implemented using today’s classical computers but will be impervious to attacks from tomorrow’s quantum ones.
+ The pressure is on because encryption technologies are deeply embedded in many different systems, so unraveling them and implementing new ones can take a great deal of time. Last year’s National Academies study noted that it took more than a decade to completely retire one widely deployed cryptographic approach that was shown to be flawed. Given the speed with which quantum computing is evolving, the world may not have that much time to tackle this new security threat.
Source: MIT Technology Review. Martin Giles, Explainer: What is post-quantum cryptography?…
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