NIST issues roadmap for transition to post-quantum encryption standards

The National Institute of Standards and Technology issued a report on Tuesday outlining how federal agencies and industry partners should transition to post-quantum cryptography standards, giving organizations a clearer roadmap and timeline for their PQC transition.

The report, titled Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography Standards, identifies quantum-vulnerable algorithms and the post-quantum algorithm standards designed to replace them. NIST released PQC standards designed to withstand the attack of an eventual fault-tolerant quantum computer in August 2024.

“The report describes different use cases and says why one migration might take longer than another,” Dustin Moody, a NIST mathematician who heads the PQC standardization project, said in a press release. “We understand there’s not one strategy that fits all use cases, and we want to help people handle their migration while staying abreast of what’s changing.”

The report acknowledges that, while quantum computers are still in development, the transition to PQC is urgent due to the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat, where adversaries collect sensitive data now with the intention of decrypting it once a cryptographically relevant quantum computer emerges.

National Security Memorandum 10 set the year 2035 as the target for completing the migration to PQC across federal systems. However, an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in June of this year accelerated this timeline. 

Under the order, agencies are required to transition all high-value assets and high-impact systems to PQC for key establishment by 2030 and digital signatures by 2031.

NIST’s report supports the implementation of the June executive order and subsequent guidance from the Office of Management and Budget, which gives agencies until 2035 to complete their PQC migration.

Moody said that some actions may take priority over others, such as migrating to the PQC key establishment for particularly sensitive data. The report notes that organizations can also take a hybrid approach, in which they combine conventional encryption with PQC, which NIST said is “akin to using two padlocks on a door instead of one.”

“We lay out how certain encryption algorithms people are using today will get phased out,” Moody said. “It’s important to know how a given algorithm might be disallowed in federal systems after a certain date, for instance, or whether it will be allowed but at the user’s own risk. Factors like this can help an organization plan.”

NIST said the report complements the migration to PQC guidelines project at the agency’s National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence.

“The new report can help you understand the standards and requirements of the migration,” Moody said, “while the NCCoE project can show you the practical tools and blueprints to get the job done.”

According to an October report from the Government Accountability Office, federal agencies have not adequately prepared for the transition to PQC through actions like fully identifying vulnerable systems or testing quantum-resistant algorithms.