request@qapp.tech
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Active participation in NIST:
we have found an error in the proof of the SPHINCS + signature algorithm security
Background

The activities of the international scientific and technological community on the standardization a set of quantum-resistant cryptographic key encapsulation and digital signature schemes are structured within the NIST process (competition) — set of events, organized by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

In July 2020, NIST launched the third round of the competition. It will last 12 to 18 months before the final list of algorithms up for international standardization is revealed. Fifteen algorithms, including eight alternate ones, made it to the third round and could potentially be standardized
Project results

QApp is one of the first teams in Russia that took part in the international NIST competition and revealed inaccuracies in the proof of the security of one of the advanced quantum-resistant algorithms.

The QApp team found bugs in the security proof of the SPHINCS + signature algorithm and reported this fact to NIST. At the moment, the QApp team together with the authors of the algorithm are working on fixing the error.

Each algorithm is analyzed and validated by QApp experts. It allows us to proactively integrate the most advanced algorithms from the NIST list into the existing QApp products.
Related articles

Learn more about the international process for selecting the most quantum-resistant NIST encryption algorithms
in the QApp knowledge base