U.S. flag
        An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you knowGovernment Website**Official websites use .gov**
              
                              A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
        Safely connect using HTTPS**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
              
              A **lock**
                (A locked padlock)
                or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.  
 Menu

      close
        
                            Enter Search Term
                Search
      Topics
      
                
  
          Topics


      
        Topics
    
    
              Border Security
      
    
              Citizenship and Immigration
      
    
              Cybersecurity
      
    
              Disasters
      
    
              Election Security
      
    
              Homeland Security Enterprise
      
    
              Human Trafficking
      
    
              Immigration and Customs Enforcement
      
    
              Preventing Terrorism and Targeted Violence
      
    
              Resilience
      
    
              Science and Technology
      
    
              Trade and Economic Security
      
    
              Transportation Security
      
    
              News
      
                
  
          News


      
        News
    
    
              All DHS News
      
    
              Apps
      
    
              Blog
      
    
              Comunicados de Prensa
      
    
              Data
      
    
              Events
      
    
              Fact Sheets
      
    
              Featured News
      
    
              Homeland Security LIVE
      
    
              Media Contacts
      
    
              Media Library
      
    
              National Terrorism Advisory System
      
    
              Press Releases
      
    
              Publications Library
      
    
              Social Media
      
    
              Speeches
      
    
              Subscribe
      
    
              Testimony
      
    
              In Focus
      
                
  
          In Focus


      
        In Focus
    
    
              Addressing Climate Change
      
    
              Artificial Intelligence at DHS
      
    
              Cybersecurity
      
    
              Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
      
    
              Honoring Veterans
      
    
              Migration and Borders
      
    
              Operation Allies Welcome
      
    
              Recognizing DHS Excellence
      
    
              Uniting for Ukraine
      
    
              How Do I?
      
                
  
          How Do I?


      
        How Do I?
    
    
              Alphabetical Listing
      
    
              At DHS
      
    
              For Businesses
      
    
              For Travelers
      
    
              For the Public
      
    
              Get Involved
      
                
  
          Get Involved


      
        Get Involved
    
    
              #BeCyberSmart
      
    
              Blue Campaign
      
    
              Citizen Corps
      
    
              If You See Something, Say Something®
      
    
              Know2Protect
      
    
              Nationwide SAR Initiative
      
    
              REAL ID
      
    
              Ready.gov
      
    
              Stop the Bleed
      
    
              US Coast Guard Auxiliary
      
    
              About DHS
      
                
  
          About DHS


      
        About DHS
    
    
              Budget & Performance
      
    
              Contact Us
      
    
              Employee Resources
      
    
              History
      
    
              Homeland Security Careers
      
    
              In Memoriam
      
    
              Laws & Regulations
      
    
              Leadership
      
    
              Mission
      
    
              Organization
      
    
              Priorities
      
    
              Site Links Breadcrumb
Home
  Topics
  Cybersecurity
  Post-Quantum Cryptography

     Border Security
                
                    
      
      Citizenship and Immigration
                
                    
                    
      Cybersecurity
                
      FY22 Cybersecurity Sprints
                
                    
                    
      Post-Quantum Cryptography
                
                    
      
      Western Hemisphere Cyber ConferenceDisasters
                
                    
      
      Election Security
                
                    
      
      Homeland Security Enterprise
                
                    
      
      Human Trafficking
                
                    
      
      Immigration and Customs Enforcement
                
                    
      
      Preventing Terrorism and Targeted Violence
                
                    
      
      Resilience
                
                    
      
      Science and Technology
                
                    
      
      Trade and Economic Security
                
                    
      
      Transportation SecurityPost-Quantum Cryptography
*“The transition to post-quantum encryption algorithms is as much dependent on the development of such algorithms as it is on their adoption. While the former is already ongoing, planning for the latter remains in its infancy. We must prepare for it now to protect the confidentiality of data that already exists today and remains sensitive in the future.”*
- U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, March 31, 2021

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in partnership with the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has released a roadmap to help organizations protect their data and systems and to reduce risks  related to the advancement of quantum computing technology.

While quantum computing promises unprecedented speed and power in computing, it also poses new risks.  As this technology advances over the next decade, it is expected to break some encryption methods that are widely used to protect customer data, complete business transactions, and secure communications.  DHS’s new guidance will help organizations prepare for the transition to post-quantum cryptography by identifying, prioritizing, and protecting potentially vulnerable data, algorithms, protocols, and systems.

In March, Secretary Mayorkas outlined his vision for cybersecurity resilience and identified the transition to post-quantum encryption as a priority.  DHS also issued internal policy guidance to drive the Department’s own preparedness efforts and is conducting a macro-level analysis to inform the government’s action and ensure a smooth and equitable transition.
      
      DHS Approach
      Planning for the DHS Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography

This work focuses on the development and implementation of Departmental guidance on the transition to post-quantum cryptography within DHS and its Components. This guidance directs the Department to prepare for transition to new post-quantum cryptography standards when available from NIST following the quantum roadmap. This guidance will result in an inventory of all DHS cryptographic systems and data types, broader understanding of the risk across the enterprise, and plans for the transition to post-quantum cryptography.

Cooperation with NIST on Tools to Help Organizations Manage the Transition

NIST and DHS, through a collaborative and innovative partnership, are working closely to produce helpful materials to raise awareness and provide guidance to federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners as well as critical infrastructure owners and operators and others in the private sector. These tools combined with targeted outreach will help our partners understand how to approach the problem and why action now is important and will help ensure a smooth transition to the new standard when available. A common approach to the problem will create efficiencies and close and ongoing relationships with our partners.

Risk- and Needs-Based Assessment of National Critical Functions

DHS’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is conducting a macro-level assessment of priority National Critical Functions to determine where post-quantum cryptography transition work is underway, where the greatest risk resides, and what sectors of National Critical Functions may require Federal support.

Together, these efforts reflect the prioritization of preparing for the transition to post-quantum cryptography, concrete actions to address the threat, and information sharing with the private sector as part of the plan Secretary Mayorkas announced on March 31.
              Roadmap
      In partnership with NIST, DHS created a guide to provide relevant stakeholders with concrete and achievable steps they can take now to prepare their organizations for the transition to post-quantum cryptography. As the NIST process to create a new post-quantum cryptography  standard is underway, organizations should consider taking inventory of their current cryptographic systems, the data being protected, and prioritizing their systems for transition. Early preparations will ensure a smooth and efficient transition to the new post-quantum cryptography standard once available.

Organizations should direct their Chief Information Officers to increase their engagement with standards developing organizations for latest developments relating to necessary algorithm and dependent protocol changes.
	Organizations should inventory the most sensitive and critical datasets that must be secured for an extended amount of time. This information will inform future analysis by identifying what data may be at risk now and decrypted once a cryptographically relevant quantum computer is available.
	Organizations should conduct an inventory of all the systems using cryptographic technologies for any function to facilitate a smooth transition in the future.
	Cybersecurity officials within organizations should identify acquisition, cybersecurity, and data security standards that will require updating to reflect post-quantum requirements.
	From the inventory, organizations should identify where and for what purpose public key cryptography is being used and mark those systems as quantum vulnerable.
	Prioritizing one system over another for cryptographic transition is highly dependent on organization functions, goals, and needs. To supplement prioritization efforts, organizations should consider the following factors when evaluating a quantum vulnerable system:
	Is the system a high value asset based on organizational requirements?
		What is the system protecting (e.g. key stores, passwords, root keys, signing keys, personally identifiable information, sensitive personally identifiable information)?
		What other systems does the system communicate with?
		To what extent does the system share information with federal entities?
		To what extent does the system share information with other entities outside of your organization?
		Does the system support a critical infrastructure sector?
		How long does the data need to be protected?
	Using the inventory and prioritization information, organizations should develop a plan for systems transitions upon publication of the new post-quantum cryptographic standard. Cybersecurity officials should provide guidance for creating transition plans.
              Partnership
      DHS is proud to partner with NIST on its work to prepare itself and our partners for the transition to post-quantum cryptography. Together, DHS and NIST are applying their combined policy and technical expertise to conduct outreach to relevant stakeholders. This outreach is centered around the jointly developed a roadmap to help prepare for the transition to post-quantum cryptography guide [link]. As the US government’s leader on the establishment of a new post-quantum cryptography standard, NIST has done critical work and is on the cutting edge of cryptographic science. NIST has extensive resources that can help provide more technical background to the roadmap.
              Quantum Background
      Quantum Information Science (QIS) is an interdisciplinary field that studies the impacts of quantum physics properties on information science. Those properties can increase computational power and speed significantly over classical computers, provide precision measurements; enhance sensing capabilities; and increase the accuracy of position, navigation, and timing services. Of these, the increase in computational capability is the most pressing issue as it threatens the security of asymmetric cryptography. A quantum computer of sufficient size and complexity will be capable of executing Shor’s Algorithm, a proven algorithm that can break factorization-based encryption that would take a classical computer billions of years of computing time to complete. This advance puts all systems running public key, or asymmetric, cryptography at risk. Experts disagree on the exact timing for the arrival of a quantum computer capable of running Shor’s Algorithm, but the threat to information protected by asymmetric cryptography exists now because an adversary can collect currently encrypted data and break it when quantum computation becomes available.

Asymmetric cryptography, or cryptography that uses public-private keys, will be decrypted by quantum computing and is ubiquitous throughout the Department; the remainder of the Federal government, State, local, tribal, and territorial governments (SLTT), and U.S. critical infrastructure. Examples of asymmetric cryptography include Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA), Elliptical Curve Cryptography (ECC), and Diffie-Hellman. These cryptographic methods are in use for internet protocols with impacts to the security of the .gov domain. The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) is working to establish a new post-quantum cryptography standard with an anticipated completion date sometime in 2024. The replacement of current cryptographic standards with new post-quantum standards presents significant technical challenges due to worldwide interconnectedness and established protocols. Although purchasing post-quantum encryption solutions available on the market today could prove tempting as a way to reduce quantum computing risks, doing so may create a more challenging transition to the NIST-approved standard in 2024 at significant cost. DHS will prioritize preparing for the challenge of post-quantum cryptography without purchasing or implementing any tools or solutions until the new standards are approved by NIST.

Current and future exchanges of information are threatened by the ability of a future quantum computer to break asymmetric cryptography. RSA and Diffie-Hellman are examples of asymmetric cryptography in use in the .gov space that will be broken in a post-quantum computing environment. The roadmap represents the combined position of NIST and DHS on early actions to prepare for post-quantum cryptography transition without unnecessary delays or resource expenditures.

QIS will remain an influencing aspect for the Department in the future across multiple mission spaces through the development of new cryptographic key distribution, advanced sensors, quantum position, navigation, and timing, and other opportunities for mission enhancement. The most near-term threat is that to asymmetric cryptography and one for which the Department must prepare.
              Additional Resources
      DHS Memorandum on Preparing for Post-Quantum Cryptography
	Post-Quantum Cryptography Roadmap Infographic
	Post-Quantum Cryptography Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
	NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization | NIST.gov
	NIST Cryptographic Agility Project | NIST.gov
	Cryptographic Agility Infographic
  
    
    TopicsHomeland Security Enterprise
              Intelligence and Analysis
              Secretary of Homeland SecurityKeywordsCybersecurity
              National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
              Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas

    Last Updated: 10/04/2022
  
Was this page helpful?
  Yes
NoThis page was not helpful because the content
  has too little information
has too much information
is confusing
is out-of-date Return to top

           Topics
      
    
                  News
      
    
                  In Focus
      
    
                  How Do I?
      
    
                  Get Involved
      
    
                  About DHS
                            
        U.S. Department of Homeland Security Seal
      
    DHS.gov
                  An official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityAbout DHS
                              Accessibility
                              Budget and Performance
                              DHS Components
                              FOIA Requests
                              No FEAR Act Data
                              Privacy Policy
                              Site Links
                              Office of Inspector General
                              The White House
                              USA.gov

                        Looking for U.S. government information and services?
                Visit USA.gov