On April 10th - 12th, 2024, the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) held its first in-person conference on Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) since the lockdown in 2020. It was the largest in-person NIST event on PQC, indicating the increasing interest in PQC as concerns build that a cryptographically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) emergence is becoming closer.
A shift is evident in PQC conferences. What were once gatherings dominated by academics are now attracting a broader audience. This year, industry and government representatives joined the discussion in significant numbers, eager to learn about the latest PQC algorithms and their deployment strategies. This surge in participation reflects the imminent standardization of post-quantum algorithms and underscores the growing commitment from both industry and government to adopt these new technologies.
Talks addressed PQC algorithms, their implementations, cryptanalysis, and more. The discussions on algorithms covered the round 4 candidates, the newly on-ramped PQC digital signatures, the algorithms that will form NIST cryptography standards, and the updates to their draft Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS).
The cryptography discovery panel I participated in focused on empowering organizations to adopt PQC. We discussed:
- Securing Internal Support: Best practices for gaining buy-in for PQC migration and cryptography discovery.
- Essential First Step: Identifying cryptographic artifacts using cryptography discovery and cryptography inventory solutions.
- Building PQC Strategy: Effective strategies for adopting PQC within your organization.
Contact us to understand how the quantum threat affects your organization and how to streamline PQC adoption with agile cryptography management solutions.
Dr. Vladimir Soukharev, VP of Cryptographic R&D, InfoSec Global
