Bochum, 5th July, 2022 – RUB security researchers win worldwide NIST standardization process for post-quantum cryptography. This means that encryption methods developed in Bochum, which even quantum computers cannot crack, will become standard in the USA.
NIST began in 2016 to identify and eventually standardize suitable replacements for the current generation of encryption methods. This next generation of cryptographic algorithms is referred to as post-quantum cryptography. NIST chose to use an open call for submissions of various approaches for this effort. Over the past five years, 69 proposals have been carefully analyzed for their security, efficiency, and other implementation characteristics.
15 methods made it to the finals of the competition. Three out of four of the now finally accepted submissions were developed by researchers from the Cluster of Excellence “Cyber Security in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries” (CASA) at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. The CASA Professors Peter Schwabe, Eike Kiltz Tanja Lange as well as Daniel J. Bernstein are involved in the selected methods. The standards certified by the federal agency are being adopted by numerous companies and online services, such as Amazon, Paypal and Google, based on experience, as they are considered particularly secure. Also NIST is expected to set standards for the USA and Europe with its choice.
Algorithms to be standardized at a glance:
Public-Key Encryption/KEMs:
– CRYSTALS-KYBER
Digital Signatures:
– CRYSTALS-Dilithium
– Falcon
– SPHINCS+
To the full press release: https://casa.rub.de/en/news/casa/future-proof-data-encryption
(Created by Barbara-Henrika Alfing | Copyright of the image: RUB, Michael Schwettmann)
