Quantum News Briefs August 14: NIST unveils 3 PQC algorithms ready for immediate use • PQ Shields: Adoption of NIST standards to become a “commercial necessity” • Quantum Xchange supports all standard post-quantum algorithms & migration recommendations announced by NIST • QuEra & Quantum Intelligence partner to accelerate drug discovery with quantum computing • WISeKey partners with Venafi on post-quantum encryption services

NIST unveils 3 PQC algorithms ready for immediate use

The Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) unveiled its first set of three encryption algorithms designed to withstand cyberattacks from a quantum computer on August 13, 2024– noting that, after nearly a decade of research, they are ready for immediate use.

Meritalk’s Cate Burgan covered the announcement August 13 and explained: The three finalized standards released today – CRYSTALS-Kyber, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, and Sphincs+ – contain the encryption algorithms’ computer code, instructions for how to implement them, and their intended uses. The fourth draft standard based on FALCON is planned for late 2024, NIST said.
NIST noted there have been no substantive changes made to the standards since the draft versions released last year, but it has changed the algorithms’ names to specify the versions that appear in the three finalized standards:

• The CRYSTALS-Kyber algorithm – Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 203 – is intended as the primary standard for general encryption. Among its advantages are comparatively small encryption keys that two parties can exchange easily, as well as its speed of operation. It has been renamed Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM).
• The CRYSTALS-Dilithium algorithm – FIPS 204 – is intended as the primary standard for protecting digital signatures. It has been renamed Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA).
• The Sphincs+ algorithm – FIPS 205 – is also designed for digital signatures. The standard is based on a different math approach than ML-DSA, and it is intended as a backup method in case ML-DSA proves vulnerable. It has been renamed the Stateless Hash-Based Digital Signature Algorithm (SLH-DSA).

“These finalized standards include instructions for incorporating them into products and encryption systems,” said NIST mathematician Dustin Moody, who heads the post-quantum computing standardization project. “We encourage system administrators to start integrating them into their systems immediately, because full integration will take time.”

Dr Ali El Kaafarani, CEO and founder of PQShield shared these points about the new NIST standards with IQT News

• The new NIST standards replace current encryption methods with new post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms, able to resist attack by a quantum computer. They protect data from future attacks as well as “harvest now, decrypt later” threats. 
• Security agencies and cybersecurity professionals have been waiting for this announcement since NIST began its standardisation process in 2016.
• In the US, the NSA has already mandated that national security systems adopt PQC by 2030. The UK’s National Cyber Security Council also strongly recommends implementing the standards.
• Adopting these standards will now become a commercial imperative.

Quantum Xchange supports all standard post-quantum algorithms and migration recommendations announced by NIST

Quantum Xchange announces its crypto discovery and quantum-safe deployment platform supports the Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) standard specifications announced August 13 by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST).
In addition to its ability to deploy all NIST-standard PQCs via Phio TX, Quantum Xchange’s FIPS validated key delivery system and quantum-safe VPN, the company offers CipherInsights, a network monitoring, cryptographic discovery, and risk assessment tool capable of identifying and prioritizing quantum-vulnerable cryptography for replacement – the first step in an organization’s inevitable migration to PQCs. For those organizations that are further along in their crypto discovery and inventory phase, CipherInsights includes a PQC status dashboard to track the progress of migration efforts and deploying the new standard algorithms.

QuEra & Quantum Intelligence partner to accelerate drug discovery with quantum computing

QuEra Computing and Quantum Intelligence Corp. (QIC), a South Korean pioneer in AI-driven drug development, have announced a strategic partnership. This collaboration is set to transform the way drugs are discovered and developed by harnessing QuEra’s neutral atom-type quantum computers.
The partnership will utilize the extraordinary computing power of QuEra’s quantum computers to boost the performance of QIC’s QUEST platform. This integration of quantum computing with artificial intelligence aims to modernize the traditional approaches to drug development, making the process faster, more precise, and more efficient.
QIC’s QUEST platform uses algorithms that analyze how electronic charges are distributed in molecules to predict how a drug will behave in the body, evaluating its effectiveness and safety. This partnership will leverage QuEra’s specialized knowledge in quantum computing to enhance these predictions, thus significantly accelerating drug development.
Yuval Boger, Chief Commercial Officer of QuEra Computing. “By combining our strengths in quantum technology with QIC’s advanced drug development platform, we hope to achieve significant improvements in how quickly and accurately new medicines are developed and brought to market.”

WISeKey partners with Venafi on post-quantum encryption services

WISeKey International Holding Ltd.,  a global leader in cybersecurity, digital identity and IoT solutions operating as a holding company, announced today that it has partnered with Venafi, a market leader in machine identity security, to make its Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificate services available on the Venafi Marketplace. WISeKey TLS services, combined with the Venafi machine identity security platform, help customers navigate the challenges of quantum computing, offering crucial support in automated certificate rollout and implementation of crypto-agility capabilities. WISeKey services can now be accessed on the Venafi Marketplace at https://vu.fr/BdsLT.