The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) advanced nine post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms to the third round of evaluation before final approval for use.
Under NIST’s PQC standardization process, candidate algorithms undergo three – sometimes four – rounds of public evaluation before approval for use. Using that process, NIST has so far approved four post-quantum cryptographic standards – one encryption algorithm and three digital signature schemes.
The algorithms are built to withstand cyberattacks from quantum computers, which complete complex calculations exponentially faster than classical computers and will be able to break many encryptions in use today.
The nine algorithms announced by NIST on May 14 were evaluated under a signature-focused competition launched by the agency in 2022 to expand and diversify its portfolio of PQC digital signatures.
According to NIST, the nine algorithms advancing to the third – and potentially final – review include:
Forty candidate algorithms entered the first round of reviews. Fourteen advanced to the second review, which concluded this month, NIST said. The third phase of evaluations and analysis is expected to last approximately two years.
NIST said it considered the security, cost and performance, and algorithm and implementation characteristics when deciding which algorithms would advance to its third review. The agency said it also “took into account the differences between the candidates and existing digital signature standards, particularly with respect to security and performance profiles.”
Some experts predict that a device with the ability to break current encryption methods could appear within a decade. As a result of rapid advancement in quantum technology, the White House updated its quantum-ready deadline for the federal government to 2035.