NSA doesn’t think quantum computers can break public key encryption
Don’t worry about encryption, instead tackle the human factor, advice infosec experts
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The US National Security Agency (NSA) isn’t really sure when or even ifquantum computerswill be able to crack public keycryptography.
Post-Quantum Cryptographyis an emerging field of research, with researchers devising mechanisms to shore up currentencryptionalgorithms against the seemingly unlimited computing performance promised by quantum computers.
The NSA however has expressed its reservations about the potential of quantum computingin a FAQtitled Quantum Computing and Post-Quantum Cryptography.
“NSA does not know when or even if a quantum computer of sufficient size and power to exploit public key cryptography (a CRQC) will exist,” said the security agency in response to whether it is worried about the potential of adversarial use of quantum computing.
Encryption isn’t the weakest link
Public-key encryption drives most of the standards and protocols on the internet and the cloud, which help ensure the integrity of the data even when it’s been hijacked by snoopers.
In the FAQ, the NSA describes a Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computer (CRQC) as a quantum computer that’s capable of actually attacking real world cryptographic systems, something that’s currently infeasible.
While it agrees that such a computer would be “devastating” to the digital security infrastructure, it seems to suggest that it doesn’t believe such a CRQC would ever materialize.
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However, the growing research in quantum computing has moved the agency to also support the development of post-quantum cryptographic standards, along with plans for eventual transition to such standards.
However, speaking to industry experts,The Registerconcludes that research on cryptography standards aren’t much of a concern tocybersecurityspecialists.
“In a world where users will divulge theirpasswordsin return for chocolate or in response to an enticingphishing email, the risk of quantum computers might not be our biggest threat,” Martin Lee, a technical lead at Cisco’s Talos security division toldThe Register.
ViaThe Register
With almost two decades of writing and reporting on Linux, Mayank Sharma would like everyone to think he’sTechRadar Pro’sexpert on the topic. Of course, he’s just as interested in other computing topics, particularly cybersecurity, cloud, containers, and coding.
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