Preparing for the Post-Quantum Era
Explore best practices for federal agencies to prepare for post-quantum cryptography, ensuring cybersecurity against emerging quantum threats.
Unlike classical computers that process information sequentially using binary states (1’s and 0’s), quantum computers leverage quantum mechanical properties such as superposition and entanglement to perform parallel calculations at unprecedented scales. This quantum advantage enables them to solve certain mathematical problems exponentially faster than classical systems. This ability will make traditional encryption algorithms including RSA, Diffie-Hellman, and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) vulnerable to attack and essentially obsolete.
The transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is not merely a technical upgrade, it represents a fundamental shift in how federal agencies must approach cybersecurity. With experts projecting that cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) may emerge within the next decade, agencies cannot afford to delay preparation.