How Should We Prepare for the Looming Quantum Encryption Apocalypse?

In 1994, American mathematician Peter Shor developed a quantum algorithm with the potential to dismantle major cryptography schemes. If realized in quantum hardware, Shor’s algorithm would factor large integers at incomprehensible speeds. Some cryptography circles refer to this milestone as “Q-day,” that is, the quantum encryption apocalypse. For context, cryptographic algorithms, like RSA encryption, essentially “scramble” our data to protect sensitive information. Not even the world’s best supercomputers are capable of cracking these encryptions. But quantum computers are poised to outperform their classical counterparts—incidentally, with regard to the exact mathematical problems that secure encryption algorithms, such as the integer factorization problem, the discrete logarithm problem, and the elliptic-curve discrete logarithm problem. The very prospect of the quantum apocalypse has driven various stakeholders to consider what that could be like and how to prepare for Q-day. For instance, in 2015, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) initiated programs to develop post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards. To be clear, no existing quantum computer has