Quantum-Resistant Cryptography: Our Best Defense Against An Impending Quantum Apocalypse

Quantum computing is poised to change the world of IT. By taking advantage of quantum mechanics, quantum computers promise to solve certain categories of complex problems much more quickly than today's traditional computers. Although a practical quantum computer has yet to be developed, incremental progress made during the past several years leads experts to believe that we may not be far off. One expected outcome of quantum computing is that the world's existing cryptographic infrastructure will have to change in a fundamental way. Due to a smart piece of mathematics from the 1990s called Shor's algorithm, the quantum computing architecture should turn out to be much more effective than traditional computing architecture at defeating Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA) and elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC)-based encryption, today's most common encryption types. If the industry does not adapt, it risks leaving the door open to widespread compromise.