Your Guide to The New Federal Quantum Action Plan

As quantum computing continues to advance, the potential threat it poses to traditional cryptography has become a significant concern for governments and organizations worldwide. Recognizing the urgency of preparing for this new era of cryptography, the U.S. Federal Government has taken decisive steps to develop and implement a detailed Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) migration strategy. Please refer to the original document here.

This blog will explore the key elements of the Federal Quantum Action Plan, including the identification of systems that may not support PQC, the actions taken thus far, estimated costs, and the ongoing efforts led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish PQC standards.

Federal Quantum Action Plan and Strategy: Identifying Systems Unable to Support PQC?

The 2023 National Cybersecurity Strategy (NCS) outlines the Federal Government’s commitment to replacing or updating IT and Operational Technology (OT) systems that cannot defend against sophisticated cyber threats, including those posed by a Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computer (CRQC). One of the critical steps in this process is the early identification of systems that may not be capable of migrating to PQC.?

There are various reasons why certain systems, both modern and legacy, might be unable to support PQC. Some hardware and software were not designed with cryptographic implementations that can be easily modified. Legacy systems, in particular, may lack the processing power, memory, or bandwidth required to implement PQC algorithms. Replacing these systems will likely be a time-consuming and resource-intensive task, already underway as part of the broader NCS implementation.?

To learn more about the Federal Quantum Action Plan, visit Encryption Consulting