Page 156 - Cyber Defense eMagazine January 2023

Why Businesses Need to Leverage the NIST Post

Quantum Cryptographic Standards to Fortify Their

Cybersecurity Future

By Dr Ali El Kaafarani, Founder and CEO of PQShield

July 5th, 2022, marked an important milestone in the fight to secure sensitive data against future cyber-
attacks from quantum computers.

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) selected the first group of quantum-
ready cryptographic standards known as post-quantum cryptography. These cryptography schemes are
purpose built to withstand attacks from a quantum computer, which will eventually have the power to
break the current security encryption used to protect virtually all of the world’s sensitive information.

The announcement, which was the culmination of the first stage of a six-year effort managed by NIST,
showcased the fruits of global cooperation from the cryptographic community. For the second stage
additional algorithms are under consideration for inclusion in the standard, with this multi-stage process
allowing for the robust and thorough testing of all algorithms. This process has already allowed the
cryptographic community to scrutinise and rule out weak candidates.

Why the quantum threat isn’t overhyped
For many, the prospect of a quantum computer at a scale needed to threaten our encryption is in the
long and distant future. However, with $3.2 billion investment in 2021 for quantum technologies and

Cyber Defense eMagazine – January 2023 Edition 156
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