Navigating the Future: Building PQ-Safe Cryptographic Modules (Q30a)
This talk explores the practical and compliance-related challenges vendors encounter when updating cryptographic modules as early adopters of post-quantum-safe (PQ-safe) cryptography. While support for fundamental PQ-safe mechanisms in cryptographic libraries is well-established, this talk uses Hardware Security Modules (HSMs), smart cards, and secure IC technologies to examine a broader range of security controls—such as secure boot, firmware authentication, user authentication and authorization, key establishment and import/export, and data encryption—that are vulnerable to quantum threats. It assesses the prioritization of updates, technology readiness, and compliance challenges faced when architecting new technical solutions for existing and future cryptographic modules.
The talk concludes by discussing the role of crypto-agility and the importance of harmonizing requirements beyond basic cryptographic specifications across various markets.