NIST is pleased to announce the release of NIST Interagency Report (NISTIR) 8105, Report on Post-Quantum Cryptography. NIST Public Affairs Office issued a press release in regards to announcing the release of this NISTIR.

This Report shares NIST’s current understanding about the status of quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography, and outlines NIST’s initial plan to move forward in this space. The report also recognizes the challenge of moving to new cryptographic infrastructures and therefore emphasizes the need for agencies to focus on crypto agility. 

The goal of post-quantum cryptography (also called quantum-resistant cryptography) is to develop cryptographic systems that are secure against both quantum and classical computers, and can interoperate with existing communications protocols and networks. In recent years, there has been a substantial amount of research on quantum computers. If large-scale quantum computers are ever built, they will be able to break many of the public-key cryptosystems currently in use. This would seriously compromise the confidentiality and integrity of digital communications on the Internet and elsewhere.