All Post-Quantum, PQC Posts
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Post-Quantum
CRQC Readiness Index Proposal
This proposal outlines a composite, vendor‑neutral “CRQC Readiness” indicator. It intentionally avoids one‑number vanity metrics (like only counting qubits) and instead triangulates from three ingredients that actually matter for breaking today’s crypto: usable (logical) qubits, error‑tolerant algorithm depth, and sustained error‑corrected operations per second.
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Post-Quantum
Understanding FIPS 140: A Cornerstone of Cryptographic Security
FIPS 140 (Federal Information Processing Standard 140) is a U.S. government computer security standard that specifies security requirements for cryptographic modules - the hardware or software components that perform encryption and other cryptographic functions. In simpler terms, FIPS 140 sets the ground rules for how encryption engines (in everything from software libraries to hardware appliances) must be built and tested to be considered secure. The…
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Post-Quantum
Stop the Quantum Fear-Mongering – It Helps No One
Fear sells - or so some vendors seem to think. For decades, a steady drumbeat of ominous warnings has proclaimed that a cryptography-breaking quantum computer is just around the corner. At security conferences and in sales pitches, I’ve had vendors lean in and whisper dramatic claims: “A friend at Fort Meade says quantum computing is farther along than we think.” Not recently - that was…
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Post-Quantum
Entanglement-Based QKD Protocols: E91 and BBM92
While prepare-and-measure QKD currently leads the market due to simplicity and higher key rates, entanglement-based QKD protocols like E91 and BBM92 are at the heart of next-generation quantum communications. Ongoing improvements in photonic technology are steadily closing the gap in performance. The additional security guarantees (e.g., tolerance of untrusted devices) and network capabilities (multi-user, untrusted relay) provided by entanglement make it a very attractive approach…
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Post-Quantum
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and the BB84 Protocol
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) represents a radical advancement in secure communication, utilizing principles from quantum mechanics to distribute cryptographic keys with guaranteed security.Unlike classical encryption, whose security often relies on the computational difficulty of certain mathematical problems, QKD's security is based on the laws of physics, which are, as far as we know, unbreakable.
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Post-Quantum
The Quantum Computing Threat
The secret sauce of quantum computing, which even Einstein called "spooky," is the ability to generate and manipulate quantum bits of data or qubits. Certain computational tasks can be executed exponentially faster on a quantum processor using qubits, than on a classical computer with 1s and 0s. A qubit can attain a third state of superimposition of 1s and 0s simultaneously, encode data into quantum…
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Policy, Standards & Regulation News
Inside ITU’s New Quantum Key Standard (Y.3800)
In late 2019, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) quietly reached a milestone in cybersecurity: it approved a new standard that could redefine how we secure data in the coming quantum era. The standard, known as ITU-T Recommendation Y.3800, is an “Overview on networks supporting Quantum Key Distribution” - essentially a blueprint for building networks that use the strange laws of quantum physics to protect encryption…
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Post-Quantum
Challenges of Upgrading to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)
The shift to post-quantum cryptography is not a distant problem but an imminent challenge that requires immediate attention. The quantum threat affects all forms of computing—whether it’s enterprise IT, IoT devices, or personal electronics. Transitioning to quantum-resistant algorithms is a complex, resource-intensive task that demands coordination across the supply chain, extensive security audits, and careful management of performance and cost issues.
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