NIST’s first post-quantum standards

The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published the first three cryptographic standards designed to resist an attack from quantum computers: ML-KEM, ML-DSA, and SLH-DSA. This marks a significant milestone for ensuring that today's communications remain secure in a future world where large-scale quantum computers are a reality. The threat of quantum computers lies in their ability to solve mathematical puzzles upon which most widely deployed cryptography depends. NIST launched a public competition in 2016 to solicit, evaluate, and standardize new "post-quantum" cryptographic schemes that are designed to be resistant to attacks from quantum computers. The publication of the final standards marks a significant milestone in an eight-year global community effort managed by NIST to prepare for the arrival of quantum computers.