The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has published its first three finalised post-quantum cryptography standards: FIPS 203, FIPS 204 and FIPS 205.
Key points
- FIPS 203 (ML-KEM) specifies a key encapsulation mechanism for general encryption.
- FIPS 204 (ML-DSA) specifies a lattice-based digital signature algorithm.
- FIPS 205 (SLH-DSA) specifies a stateless hash-based digital signature algorithm.
- The standards are designed to resist attacks by future quantum computers.
- NIST encourages organisations to begin migrating now.
Data encrypted today could be harvested and decrypted later. UK organisations should start building a cryptographic inventory and plan migration, in line with NCSC guidance on post-quantum cryptography.
Source: FIPS 203, 204 and 205 announcement (NIST)
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