Leaked documents suggest that the US National Security Agency is developing quantum computers to crack cryptography codes, but what progress has the agency really made? Jon Cartwright investigates.
Cryptography is a term that safeguards the security of electronic banking transactions, and emails, and most importantly our country relies on cryptography for national security purposes. Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) has a major aim of developing newer cryptographic schemes that make the cryptosystem secure against quantum computers. This is a state-of-the-art research topic, and it is encouraged by some security agencies like the National Security Agency (NSA). This paper presents a concise and up-to-date review of post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) algorithms submitted to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for standardization. Highlighting the need for cryptographic resilience in the era of quantum computing, the study focuses on the technical evaluation of candidate algorithms, including their performance in terms of time and space efficiency. It also examines the progression of these algorithms through NIST’s multi-round selection process, highlighting key developments and implementation challenges. The paper aims to provide researchers with a clear overview of the current state of PQC standardization and the practical considerations involved in deploying secure, quantum-resistant cryptographic solutions.
The landscape of quantum technology is evolving with computing at the forefront of nations’ policies and budgets. Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) promises a new era of secure information with the threat that quantum-capable computers pose to classical encryption methods. In response, the federal government has issued national security memoranda which aim to secure government and corporate systems. However, current policy does not address the issue of "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks, where adversaries collect classically encrypted information today to decrypt once a quantum-capable computer is developed. This inevitable mass decryption event would expose large amounts of classified information and could potentially undermine strategic stability. Countries like Russia and China have already invested heavily to develop quantum computers and outpace our capabilities. To counter this risk, federal agencies—including NIST, NSA, DHS, and the State Department—must accelerate the quantum-resistance timeline, expand access to new encryption standards, and create organizations that support diplomatic engagement. These efforts will reduce our vulnerability and strengthen bilateral relations in this new era of information security.
The US National Security Agency (NSA) has emphasized that Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols have technical limitations making them unfeasible for national security systems. However, several researchers have debated against this narrative stating their robustness. This disagreement makes it essential for more researchers and pen-testers to study QKD and determine its robustness, performance efficiency, and/or vulnerabilities. However, simulating QKD protocols often needs an in-depth domain knowledge of both cryptography and quantum physics making it difficult for security researchers to understand and cross-examine them. To alleviate the problem, this paper implements the standard BB84 QKD protocol, develops an easily reconfigurable simulator library, and showcases how it can be used to uncover the protocol's vulnerabilities. Using the simulator, we uncover and demonstrate a major vulnerability in the BB84 protocol via which persistent eavesdroppers can evade generic detection under certain probabilistic conditions and launch denial-of-service attacks. The paper also demonstrates this vulnerability in real-time via the simulator showcasing its robustness and capabilities.