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US Government: Stop Dickering and Prepare for Post-Quantum Encryption Now

"Do not wait until the quantum computers are in use by our adversaries to act," the government's computer security agency warns.

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Stephen Shankland principal writer
Stephen Shankland has been a reporter at CNET since 1998 and writes about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Expertise processors, semiconductors, web browsers, quantum computing, supercomputers, AI, 3D printing, drones, computer science, physics, programming, materials science, USB, UWB, Android, digital photography, science Credentials
  • I've been covering the technology industry for 24 years and was a science writer for five years before that. I've got deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and other dee
Stephen Shankland
Loops of gleaming golden cables carry data signals inside an IBM quantum computer

A closeup view of an IBM quantum computer.

Stephen Shankland/CNET

If you're wondering when your company should start taking seriously the security problems that quantum computers pose, the answer is now, the US government says.

"Do not wait until the quantum computers are in use by our adversaries to act," the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a guide published Wednesday. "Early preparations will ensure a smooth migration to the post-quantum cryptography standard once it is available."

Quantum computers, which take advantage of the weird physics of the ultrasmall to perform calculations, are a nascent technology today. Companies like IBM, Intel, Google and Microsoft have joined a host of startups in investing billions of dollars in their development, though. And as they become more powerful, quantum computers could crack conventional encryption, laying bare sensitive communications.

That's why the US government's National Institute of Standards and Technology embarked on a search for post-quantum cryptography technology that would protect sensitive information even from quantum computers. With submissions and analysis from experts around the world, NIST picked four post-quantum encryption algorithms and is working to standardize them by 2024.

Quantum computers also could undermine cryptocurrencies, which also use today's cryptography technology.