{"id":721,"date":"2023-04-14T06:51:07","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T06:51:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dataprot.net\/?p=721"},"modified":"2023-07-14T07:40:59","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T07:40:59","slug":"post-quantum-cryptography","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dataprot.net\/guides\/post-quantum-cryptography\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Post-Quantum Cryptography? Future-Proofing Encryption"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
You may have heard of the term post-quantum cryptography<\/strong> floating around the internet, but what does it mean? Simply put, post-quantum cryptography is a type of cryptography designed to be secure even after quantum computers are developed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The emergence of quantum computers is a big concern for many people, as they could potentially break even the most secure encryption methods<\/strong> we use today. That’s why it’s essential to start preparing for post-quantum cryptography now. In this article, we will discuss what post-quantum cryptography is, how it works, and why it matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was established way back in the 1980s that if computers took advantage of quantum mechanical properties, their processing speed would increase dramatically. A decade later, mathematician Peter Shor<\/strong> demonstrated how the algorithm used for public key encryption could be easily broken by the (theoretical) quantum computer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ever since then, researchers have strived to discover what a post-quantum cryptography system could look like in the future. So, how do you best describe post-quantum cryptography<\/strong>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Post-quantum cryptography (also known as quantum-resistant cryptography) is a type of cryptography designed to be secure against cyberattacks by quantum computers. In other words, this is an effort to develop cryptographic systems for (standard) computers that can stop attacks by quantum computers<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The work on post-quantum cryptography is a task that looks toward the future<\/strong> since a large-scale quantum computer hasn\u2019t yet been built, and the current technology is not operating with enough processing power to crack today\u2019s most secure algorithms<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, once full-scale quantum computers are developed, we might have to deal with one of the biggest threats to public key cryptography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quantum computers with enough processing power will easily be able to break the very foundations of public key algorithms<\/strong>. These are the discrete logarithm, integer factorization, and elliptic-curve discrete logarithm problems. On the other hand, symmetric cryptography is thought to be more resilient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quantum computers process information in qubits<\/strong>, which are quantum bits<\/strong>. This process is done by using the laws of quantum mechanics. A quantum computer is much faster than its \u201cclassic\u201d counterpart, thanks to the qubits being combinations of 0s and 1, which results in quicker variable processing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pre-quantum cryptography relies on using a particular type of cipher,<\/strong> known as an algorithm, to transform data that humans can read into a secret code. The difficulty lies in making these ciphers harder to reverse-engineer but easier to understand. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, quantum cryptography uses geometric ciphers and properties of atoms to create an unbreakable secret code from human-readable data. What\u2019s challenging with post-quantum cryptography is that quantum physics is still developing<\/strong>, and it\u2019s very costly to build prototypes for quantum computers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To better understand post-quantum cryptography, we need to explain how different ideas in this field work. There are four post-quantum cryptography types in total, so let\u2019s take a look at what they are and how they work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These cryptographic algorithms are based on the problem with the shortest or nearest vector. This quantum-resistant cryptography deals with the difficulty of solving certain issues on high-dimensional lattices. The most common lattice-based cryptosystem is the NTRUEncrypt algorithm<\/strong>, which is used in a variety of applications, including email and file encryption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This type of cryptography derives from a signature scheme that uses only a key pair for signing a message. This signature scheme is known as the one-time signature. If two different notes are signed by an OTS key pair<\/strong>, this might threaten the network, and a hacker might forge signatures and compromise the users\u2019 personal data. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The most common hash-based cryptosystem is the SHA-3 algorithm<\/strong>, which is used in a variety of applications, including file encryption and digital signatures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In code-based cryptography, complex mathematical equations are used to create secure cryptographic keys and perform cryptographic operations. This approach is an alternative to public-key cryptosystems and is based on decoding random linear code and solving challenging unknown error-correcting codes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are two code-based quantum cryptography techniques: one devised by Robert McEliece and the other by Harald Niederreiter. Unlike other public-key algorithms, code-based cryptography utilizes simple mathematical equations to create and verify cryptographic keys and perform other cryptographic operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The foundation of multivariate cryptography schemes lies in the challenge of solving nonlinear equations over finite fields. This type of cryptography relies on using multivariate polynomials, typically of the second degree, and must be solved as an NP-hard problem<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In most cases, these polynomials take the form of quadratic equations, though other variations exist that present their own unique challenges. Despite this difficulty, multivariate public key cryptosystems remain popular for encryption thanks to their security and efficiency<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once developed, quantum computers will easily be able to compromise any cipher developed by a standard computer. This was officially established by a group of researchers from MIT and the University of Innsbruck in 2016<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The security issue was recognized as critical during the same year, and submissions were opened for new ciphers that would replace the current public encryption techniques. The National Institute of Standards and Technology<\/a>, which initiated this post-quantum cryptography competition, developed several defenses<\/strong> during this project. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPost-Quantum Cryptography Definition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pre-Quantum vs. Quantum vs. Post-Quantum Cryptography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Types of Post-Quantum Cryptography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Lattice-Based Cryptography <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Hash-Based Cryptography <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Code-Based Cryptography <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Multivariate Cryptography <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Importance of Post-Quantum Cryptography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n