Post-Quantum Cryptography

A Post-Quantum Cryptography is a cryptographic ___ that ... quantum cryptography.

• See: Cryptographic Primitive, Public-Key Cryptosystem, Cryptanalytic Attack, Quantum Computing, Integer Factorization Problem, Discrete Logarithm Problem, Elliptic-Curve Discrete Logarithm Problem, Shor's Algorithm, Processing Power, Y2Q.

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References

2024

• (Wikipedia, 2024) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-quantum_cryptography Retrieved:2024-8-22.
  • Post-quantum cryptography (PQC), sometimes referred to as quantum-proof, quantum-safe, or quantum-resistant, is the development of cryptographic algorithms (usually public-key algorithms) that are thought to be secure against a cryptanalytic attack by a quantum computer. Most widely-used public-key algorithms rely on the difficulty of one of three mathematical problems: the integer factorization problem, the discrete logarithm problem or the elliptic-curve discrete logarithm problem. All of these problems could be easily solved on a sufficiently powerful quantum computer running Shor's algorithm or even faster and less demanding (in terms of the number of qubits required) alternatives.

    While, as of 2023, quantum computers lack the processing power to break widely used cryptographic algorithms, cryptographers are designing new algorithms to prepare for Y2Q or Q-Day, the day when current algorithms will be vulnerable to quantum computing attacks. Their work has gained attention from academics and industry through the PQCrypto conference series hosted since 2006, several workshops on Quantum Safe Cryptography hosted by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), and the Institute for Quantum Computing. The rumoured existence of widespread harvest now, decrypt later programs has also been seen as a motivation for the early introduction of post-quantum algorithms, as data recorded now may still remain sensitive many years into the future. In contrast to the threat quantum computing poses to current public-key algorithms, most current symmetric cryptographic algorithms and hash functions are considered to be relatively secure against attacks by quantum computers. While the quantum Grover's algorithm does speed up attacks against symmetric ciphers, doubling the key size can effectively block these attacks. Thus post-quantum symmetric cryptography does not need to differ significantly from current symmetric cryptography. On August 13, 2024, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released final versions of its first three Post Quantum Crypto Standards.

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