NIST has chosen a new algorithm for post-quantum encryption called HQC, which will serve as a backup for ML-KEM, the main algorithm for general encryption.HQC is based on different math than ML-KEM, which could be important if a weakness were discovered in ML-KEM. NIST plans to issue a draft standard incorporating the HQC algorithm in… Read more »

With malicious software on the rise, how can you be certain that a computer, server, or mobile device is running the code (and provisioning data) that was intended? You can’t just ask the code itself, so where do you start? The answer is deceptively simple – start where you have certainty and build up a chain… Read more »

German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) has now certified a smart card Certified smartcards offer users verified and therefore trustworthy security functionality and cryptography. They are used in particular where high security requirements apply. These include ID cards, health cards, credit cards and SIM cards for cell phones. The German Federal Office for Information… Read more »

Utimaco is a German company, based in Aachen. Quantum Protect extends the u.trust General Purpose HSM Se-Series with proven and standardized Post Quantum Cryptography algorithms for a secure transition into the quantum era, featuring robust lattice-based and hash-based algorithms. For upfront evaluation and testing, a free simulator is available. Quantum Protect is the application package… Read more »

Quantum computers are within reach and pose a serious threat to today’s data with increased protection requirements. Data that is worth protecting in the long term could already be stored today so that it can be decrypted later with the help of a quantum computer – according to the motto “Store now, decrypt later”. Previously… Read more »

The continued advancement of experimental quantum computing has raised concerns about the security of many of the world’s widely-used public-key cryptography systems. Crucially, there exists the potential for sufficiently large, cryptographically-relevant quantum computers to break these algorithms. This potential highlights the need for developers to build and implement quantum-resistant cryptography now. Fortunately, post-quantum cryptography (PQC)… Read more »