Encryption

Evolving Quantum Computing Threat is Taken Seriously

The advanced computing capabilities of quantum computers will render most traditional encryption protocols used today obsolete. The US government is already preparing contingencies for how to defend its current IT assets and equipment from the threat.

Quantum computers exploit quantum mechanical phenomena to solve mathematical problems that are difficult or intractable for conventional computers. If large-scale quantum computers are ever built, they will be able to break many of the public-key cryptosystems currently in use, according to csrc.nist.gov.

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) wants to develop new encryption standards designed to protect the federal government from new and emerging cybersecurity threats.

The agency spent much of the past year evaluating 69 algorithms for its Post Quantum Cryptography Standardization project, designed to protect the machines used by federal agencies today from the encryption-breaking tools of tomorrow.