{"id":4884,"date":"2024-08-14T08:16:50","date_gmt":"2024-08-14T13:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.darkreading.com\/endpoint-security\/nist-releases-3-post-quantum-standards-urges-orgs-to-start-pqc-journey"},"modified":"2024-08-14T08:16:50","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T13:16:50","slug":"nist-releases-3-post-quantum-standards-urges-orgs-to-start-pqc-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/08\/14\/nist-releases-3-post-quantum-standards-urges-orgs-to-start-pqc-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"NIST Releases 3 Post-Quantum Standards, Urges Orgs to Start PQC Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on Tuesday released the final version of the <\/span>first three cryptographic standards<\/a><\/span> based on algorithms deemed capable of resisting attacks from quantum computers powerful enough to decrypt data protected with the current Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).<\/span><\/p>\n

Culminating a process launched in 2015, <\/span>NIST’s publication<\/a><\/span> of the new Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS)-algorithms sets the stage for CISOs and providers of software, hardware and services to kick off, or advance their post-quantum cryptography (PQC) remediation strategies.<\/span><\/p>\n

Security experts say the release of the first PQC standards is the first major milestone for cryptography in over two decades since the adoption of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) in 2001 to replace the Data Encryption Standard (DES). In modern communications using public-key infrastructure (PKI), standard AES and RSA encryption are commonly used in tandem.<\/span><\/p>\n

Implementing the new standards-based PQC encryption algorithms promises to address longstanding predictions that quantum computers will eventually emerge that are powerful enough to break standard AES and RSA-2048 encryption by applying what is widely known as <\/span>Shor’s algorithm<\/a><\/span>.  Based on advances, experts believe the first cryptographically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) could potentially do so within the next decade.<\/span><\/p>\n

“This is a historic moment and the beginning of a new era in digital security,” Matthew Scholl, chief of NIST’s computer security division, said in a short video announcing the publication of the standards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among an initial set of 82 candidates, <\/span>NIST selected four algorithms<\/a><\/span> in 2022: <\/span>CRYSTALS-Kyber<\/a><\/span>, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Sphincs+ and FALCON. Last year, <\/span>NIST released<\/a><\/span> the first three standards in draft form, and it said FALCON would be released as a draft standard later this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that they are published standards, NIST has given them official FIPS designations:<\/span><\/p>\n

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