Quantum in Context: IBM Key to New NIST Post-Quantum Crypto Standards

Caute_cautim — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 20:03:30 GMT

Hi All

For all the potential of quantum computing to solve problems intractable with today’s classical systems, there has been a shadow hanging over the field since the 1990s. In cryptography, decryption schemes are protected by having authorized people or systems having the keys to unlock encrypted data. These can only be broken by solving some very hard computational problems. In the case of RSA and several other methods, those hard problems involve factoring specific very large numbers into smaller prime numbers.

Peter Shor’s 1995 quantum algorithm shows how to factor numbers almost exponentially faster than any known classical method. However, today’s quantum computers are nowhere near powerful enough to perform these calculations. Nevertheless, we must protect ourselves in the future. The new NIST standards are an excellent start to providing that insurance against quantum computers undoing data encryption. The decades-long strength of IBM’s Research division and its scientific expertise were critical for providing the core algorithms in the standards.

The work to protect our data against quantum attacks is not complete, and NIST should continue to lead the way in developing standards. This is not the time for sovereign or other international efforts to compete. Continued global cooperation and pooling of cryptographic and cybersecurity expertise is critical.

https://futurumgroup.com/insights/quantum-in-context-ibm-key-to-new-nist-post-quantum-crypto-standards/

Regards

Caute_Cautim

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Quantum in Context: IBM Key to New NIST Post-Quantum Crypto Standards