NIST Announces First Four Quantum-Resistant Cryptographic Algorithms
Jul 06, 2022
The U.S. Department of Commerce's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has chosen the first set of quantum-resistant encryption algorithms that are designed to "withstand the assault of a future quantum computer." The post-quantum cryptography ( PQC ) technologies include the CRYSTALS-Kyber algorithm for general encryption, and CRYSTALS-Dilithium , FALCON , and SPHINCS+ for digital signatures. "Three of the selected algorithms are based on a family of math problems called structured lattices, while SPHINCS+ uses hash functions," NIST, which kicked off the standardization process in January 2017, said in a statement. Cryptography, which underpins the security of information in modern computer networks, derives its strength from the difficulty of solving mathematical problems — e.g., factoring large composite integers — using traditional computers. Quantum computers, should they mature enough, pose a ...