Security News > 2024 > August > Security Experts Welcome NIST’s New Encryption Standards For Quantum Computers

Quantum computers are rapidly increasing the ability for high-performance computing, and the new standards are ready for immediate use, NIST said.

"Quantum computing technology could become a force for solving many of society's most intractable problems, and the new standards represent NIST's commitment to ensuring it will not simultaneously disrupt our security," said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Laurie E. Locascio, in a statement.

These new algorithms are the first of many NIST will provide over the coming years, said Aaron Kemp, director of advisory technology risk at KPMG. "The threat of quantum computing against current cryptographic standards cannot be understated," he said.

"While today's quantum computers are small and experimental, they are rapidly becoming more capable, "And it is only a matter of time before cryptographically-relevant quantum computers arrive,'' observed Tim Hollebeek, industry and standards technical strategist at DigiCert."These are quantum computers that are powerful enough to break the asymmetric cryptography used to protect communications and devices on the internet - and they could arrive in as little as five to 10 years.

Hollebeek added: "The good news is that the problem can be solved by switching to new hard math problems that are not vulnerable to quantum computers, and the new NIST standards describe in precise detail exactly how to use these new hard math problems to protect internet traffic in the future.

Colin Soutar, US and global quantum cyber readiness leader at Deloitte, called the new NIST standards "a great accomplishment.

News URL

https://www.techrepublic.com/article/nist-new-post-quantum-cryptography-standards/