Post-Quantum
PostQuantum.com by Marin Ivezic – Quantum Security, PQC, Quantum Resistance, CRQC, Q-Day, Y2Q
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Quantum Era Demands Changes to ALL Enterprise Systems
In my work with various clients, I frequently encounter a significant misunderstanding about the scope of preparations required to become quantum ready. Many assume that the transition to a post-quantum world will be straightforward, involving only minor patches to a few systems or simple upgrades to hardware security modules (HSMs).…
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Inside NIST’s PQC: Kyber, Dilithium, and SPHINCS+
In 2022, after a multi-year evaluation, NIST selected CRYSTALS-Kyber, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, and SPHINCS+ as the first algorithms for standardization in public-key encryption (key encapsulation) and digital signatures. Kyber is an encryption/key-establishment scheme (a Key Encapsulation Mechanism, KEM) based on lattice problems, while Dilithium (also lattice-based) and SPHINCS+ (hash-based) are digital signature…
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The Future of Digital Signatures in a Post-Quantum World
The world of digital signatures is at an inflection point. We’re moving from the familiar terrain of RSA and ECC into the new territory of lattices and hashes. It’s an exciting time for cryptography, and a critical time for security practitioners. Authentication, integrity, and non-repudiation are security properties we must…
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Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computers (CRQCs)
Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computers (CRQCs) represent a seismic shift on the horizon of cybersecurity. In this article, we’ve seen that CRQCs are defined by their ability to execute quantum algorithms (like Shor’s and Grover’s) at a scale that breaks the cryptographic primitives we rely on daily. While still likely years…
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Quantum Computer Factors Record 48-Bit Number – How Far Are We from Cracking RSA-2048?
Factoring a 2048-bit number is in a different universe of complexity, requiring thousands of high-quality qubits and billions of operations – a capability that will likely require years of additional scientific and engineering breakthroughs. The current milestone, while remarkable for quantum computing, does not change the security status of RSA…
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The Toffoli Gate: The Unsung Workhorse in Quantum Codebreaking
Understanding the Toffoli gate’s role isn’t just an academic exercise – it has real implications for when and how quantum computers might break our cryptography. Each Toffoli gate isn’t a single physical operation on today’s hardware; it has to be decomposed into the basic operations a quantum machine can do…
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Mitigating Quantum Threats Beyond PQC
The article explores limitations of PQC and explores alternative and complementary approaches to mitigate quantum risks. It provides technical analysis of each strategy, real-world examples of their deployment, and strategic recommendations for decision-makers. The goal is to illuminate why a diversified cryptographic defense – beyond just rolling out new algorithms…
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Introduction to Crypto-Agility
As we edge closer to the Q-Day—the anticipated moment when quantum computers will be capable of breaking traditional cryptographic systems—the need for crypto-agility becomes increasingly critical. Crypto-agility is the capability of an organization to swiftly and efficiently transition between different cryptographic algorithms and protocols in response to emerging threats and…
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Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Introduction
Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) refers to cryptographic algorithms (primarily public-key algorithms) designed to be secure against an attack by a future quantum computer. The motivation for PQC is the threat that large-scale quantum computers pose to current cryptographic systems. Today’s widely used public-key schemes – RSA, Diffie-Hellman, and elliptic-curve cryptography –…
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Dos & Don’ts of Crypto Inventories for Quantum Readiness
Relying on asset owners, developers or IT personnel to identify and report in interviews or survey responses every instance of cryptographic usage is not just impractical; it simply does not work...
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Ready for Quantum: Practical Steps for Cybersecurity Teams
The journey towards quantum resistance is not merely about staying ahead of a theoretical threat but about evolving our cybersecurity practices in line with technological advancements. Starting preparations now ensures that organizations are not caught off guard when the landscape shifts. It’s about being informed, vigilant, and proactive—qualities essential to…
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Next-Generation QKD Protocols: A Cybersecurity Perspective
Traditional QKD implementations have demonstrated provably secure key exchange, but they come with practical limitations. To address these limitations, researchers have developed next-generation QKD protocols. These advanced protocols improve security by reducing trust assumptions and mitigating device vulnerabilities, and they enhance performance (key rate, distance) through novel techniques. The article…
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Evaluating Tokenization in the Context of Quantum Readiness
As the quantum era approaches, organizations face the daunting task of protecting their sensitive data from the looming threat of quantum computers. These powerful machines have the potential to render traditional cryptographic methods obsolete, making it imperative to explore innovative strategies for quantum readiness. One often overlooked yet highly promising…
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Quantum Computing – Looming Threat to Telecom Security
Since the early 2000s, the field of quantum computing has seen significant advancements, both in technological development and in commercialization efforts. The experimental demonstration of Shor's algorithm in 2001 proved to be one of the key catalyzing events, spurring increased interest and investment from both the public and private sectors.
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Adiabatic Quantum Computing (AQC) and Impact on Cyber
Adiabatic Quantum Computing (AQC), and its variant Quantum Annealing, are another model for quantum computation. It's a specialized subset of quantum computing focused on solving optimization problems by finding the minimum (or maximum) of a given function over a set of possible solutions. For problems that can be presented as…
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