Cryptography is a branch of mathematics that studies methods of protecting information through mathematical transformations.

Quantum computers are a new generation of computing devices that exploit the effects of quantum mechanics.

The risk that a malicious actor could gain unauthorized access to data through a cyberattack carried out using a quantum computer.

Cryptographic algorithms designed to resist attacks performed using quantum computers.

Both approaches provide protection against quantum-computer-based attacks, but each has its own distinct characteristics. The choice between PQC and QKD depends on the specific objectives and use cases. In most cases, the optimal solution is to combine both approaches.

A family of asymmetric cryptographic algorithms designed to remain secure against both classical and quantum attacks.

A quantum algorithm for integer factorization.

A family of quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms whose security relies on the assumed computational hardness of solving systems of nonlinear multivariate polynomial equations over a finite field.

Cryptographic algorithms in this family offer relatively high performance but require large key sizes.

Cryptographic algorithms in this family offer relatively high performance and feature moderate key sizes.

Notable features of this class of algorithms include short public and secret keys, along with well-established, conservative security guarantees.

Cryptographic algorithms in this family typically have lower performance but provide short public keys and compact ciphertexts.

In the context of post-quantum cryptography, hybrid cryptography refers to an approach that combines two or more key-encapsulation mechanisms — typically one classical and one post-quantum.

Secure computation protocols enable data scientists and analysts to perform collaborative, privacy-preserving computations on distributed data without revealing or transferring the underlying data.

An encryption method that allows certain computations to be performed directly on ciphertext, such that the decrypted result is identical to the result of performing those same operations on the original plaintext.

A type of public-key encryption in which both the user's secret key and the encrypted data are tied to attributes. Decryption succeeds only when the attributes embedded in the user's key match those associated with the ciphertext.

A type of asymmetric encryption in which a user's public key is derived by applying a publicly known algorithm — typically a hash function — to the user's identity information.

A standardization process organized by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with the goal of standardizing quantum-resistant key-encapsulation mechanisms and digital signature schemes.

An additional competition has been announced to standardize digital signature schemes.

On August 13, 2024, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) published the final versions of its first post-quantum cryptography standards:

• FIPS 203 (ML-KEM)
• FIPS 204 (ML-DSA)
• FIPS 205 (SLH-DSA)

A post-quantum cryptography algorithm selection competition held in 2018–2019 by the Chinese Association for Cryptologic Research (CACR).

Technical Committee 26 of Rosstandart develops normative documents covering cryptographic mechanisms used in the Russian Federation.

GOST cryptography encompasses the core cryptographic algorithms, protocols, and methods of their application as defined in the national standards currently in force in the Russian Federation and other officially approved regulatory documents.

Neven's Law states that the computational power of quantum computers scales at a doubly exponential rate compared to classical computers.

The Google Quantum AI research team has published a new estimate of the number of qubits required to recover the private key of an RSA-2048 cryptosystem.

An attack in which an adversary attempts to compromise a cryptosystem by measuring and analyzing the time it takes to perform cryptographic operations.