Key Takeaways:
Leading cybersecurity players unite: To advance post-quantum cryptography (PQC) for data protection.
Founding members include: IBM Quantum, Microsoft, MITRE, PQShield, SandboxAQ, and the University of Waterloo.
The coalition’s focus: Standards, education, code development, and cryptographic adaptability.
A coalition of prominent cybersecurity organizations, including IBM Quantum, Microsoft, MITRE, PQShield, SandboxAQ, and the University of Waterloo, has formed the PQC Coalition to accelerate the global adoption of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). This initiative aims to protect sensitive information from the potential vulnerabilities posed by quantum computing.
The PQC Coalition aims to leverage its collective expertise to promote PQC adoption, to advance interoperable standards, and to provide education and outreach. This collaborative effort will align with NIST’s PQC standards and the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence’s PQC Migration Project.
The coalition will initially focus on four key workstreams:
- Advancing relevant PQC standards.
- Creating educational resources.
- Developing open-source, production-quality code.
- Ensuring cryptographic adaptability.
Charles Clancy, MITRE’s Chief Futurist and SVP, stressed the need to prepare for the arrival of quantum computers. The coalition, composed of experts, researchers, and technologists, is well-positioned to lead a smooth transition to PQC and promote crypto-agility in the face of quantum threats.
Jen Sovada, President of the public sector at SandboxAQ, highlighted the coalition’s role in raising awareness, developing PQC solutions, and simplifying migration processes for organizations. Mike Osborne, CTO at IBM Quantum, emphasized the importance of industry-wide collaboration in implementing NIST algorithms and preparing for quantum challenges.
Inbar Badian, Quantum Safe Program Lead at Microsoft Security, expressed Microsoft’s commitment to data security and building a quantum-safe future. Ben Packman, SVP at PQShield, expressed pride in contributing expertise and technology to modernize global technology systems.
Interested organizations should contact [email protected].