Post-Quantum Cryptography
Search Security, April, 5th 2023
Post-quantum cryptography, also known as quantum encryption, is the development of cryptographic systems for classical computers that can prevent attacks launched by quantum computers.
In the 1980s, scientists speculated that if computers could take advantage of the unique properties of quantum mechanics, they could perform complicated computations faster than classical, binary computers. It quickly became clear that a quantum computer, taking advantage of quantum properties such as superposition and entanglement, could complete certain types of complex calculations in a matter of hours -- something that would take a classical computer several years to complete.
In 1990s, after mathematician Peter Shor successfully demonstrated that a theoretical quantum computer could easily break the algorithm used for public key encryption (PKE), cryptographers around the world began to explore what a post-quantum cryptography system would look like. As of this writing, standards for post-quantum encryption are still emerging.