Simply put, no, we’re not inventing new quantum-safe algorithms because there are suitable replacements available already, which have been thoroughly researched, in some cases for many decades. What we’re doing is taking the best “standard’s candidate” algorithms for quantum-safe cryptography and optimizing them so that they will meet the performance requirements in a variety of environments from IoT sensors to large, distributed data centres.

It is important to remember that the reason we trust that algorithms like RSA and ECC and safe from existing computers is because they have been studied for almost 40 years by the best cryptographers in the world.  That study, and the results they have discovered give us confidence that we can trust those algorithms with the key sizes we use today.  We have been following this same process in studying the new quantum-safe candidates, and the special abilities of quantum computers to work towards that same level of confidence.

Luckily we don’t need to have a large-scale quantum computer to perform that type of testing.  Since Richard Feynman conceived of a quantum computer in 1981 and the first quantum algorithms were developed in the early 90’s, there has been a large-scale effort to understand the practical abilities of a quantum computer.  This has led to developments such as Shor’s algorithm that efficiently breaks the RSA and ECC cryptosystems that we rely upon today.  These tools allow us to determine the security of a quantum-safe candidate without actually needing a large-scale quantum computer.

Experts believe that NIST will be far too late to publish their revised standards. Their timeline will yield a standard around 2023, which is only a couple years before industry experts estimate that a large-scale quantum computer will be available. Waiting until NIST finalizes its work leaves no time for you to react. This creates a tremendous risk to all of the systems and information that depend on public key cryptography. Fortunately, the ISARA Radiate Security Solution Suite includes all five leading quantum-safe algorithm candidates for standardization and the ability to implement a “hybrid approach”, so that you can continue to use today’s cryptographic standards and prepare for the emerging threat of quantum computers.