The beginning of the end? An update on the NIST PQC “competition”(Q23a)
In 2016, NIST announced a worldwide call for submissions to replace the public-key cryptographic algorithms which would be threatened by attacks from a large-scale quantum computer. In response, NIST received over 80 submissions to evaluate. We are now in 2021, and in the 3rd round of analysis and evaluation. There are 7 finalist algorithms, and 8 alternate algorithms still being considered for standardization. In this talk, I will provide an overview of the “competition” to date, as well as looking ahead to when we will have the first quantum-resistant algorithms standardized. I will discuss lessons learned, and challenges that still need to be overcome to help prepare for the upcoming transition to these new algorithms. co-presenter: Lily Chen, NIST