The Post-Quantum Cryptography World Is Coming: Here’s How to Prepare
+ Because quantum computers are out of the budget for most companies, and likely always will be, IBM and others developed a range of tools and systems that allow them to develop applications in the quantum environment without having to purchase cost-prohibitive hardware. The goal is frictionless quantum computing with developers using advanced hardware with a cloud-based application programming interface, working seamlessly with high-performance computing resources.
Start making notes of all the areas where the systems and applications you develop use encryption. And keep a close eye on the changes happening in quantum computing.
+ Using quantum computing, attackers can likely break even the most advanced encryption methods. The greatest concerns are Shor’s Algorithm and Grover’s Algorithm, which are two of the most touted capabilities of quantum computing. Once these are easy for attackers to obtain, they will be able to use these algorithms to break existing symmetric, and asymmetric, defenses.
+ This means that in a post-quantum cryptography world encryption protected with RSA or elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC) can easily be cracked, opening up sensitive data to breaches and attacks. The issue is so critical that the National Institute of Standards and Technology launched a post-quantum cryptography project to address this specific issue. The NIST started with 82 candidates for post-quantum cryptography algorithms and recently announced at the IBM cryptography meeting that it hopes to have a small number selected for standardization at the beginning of 2022. The goal is to have a final version finished around 2024.
+ Because encryption is everywhere — affecting every device, browser and application — updating encryption algorithms to be quantum-proof is a huge task. Writers often liken it to fixing the Y2K bug. And that’s accurate. Once the solution exists, organizations will need to update their encryptions in everything they’ve developed. Every person and business must ensure that all the devices and applications they use are updated.
Content may have been edited for style and clarity. The “+” to the left of paragraphs or other statements indicates quoted material from “Source:” document. Boldface title is original title from “Source:” Italicized statements are directly quoted from “Source:” document. Image sources are indicated as applicable.
