Securing the Future: Navigating the Global Transition to PQC and Crypto Agility

This article was written by Lily Lidong Chen of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

2026 marks a pivotal milestone: the 10-year anniversary of the NIST Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Standardisation Project.

PQC refers to cryptographic algorithms that are designed to withstand attacks from future quantum computers. While quantum computing promises a massive leap in processing power, it also poses an existential threat to the mathematical foundations that keep our digital world safe.

The Quantum Threat and the PQC Solution

Today’s most widely deployed public-key algorithms, such as RSA and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), are the cornerstones of modern cybersecurity. However, they rely on the computational hardness of integer factorization and discrete logarithms — problems that Shor’s algorithm proved a full-scale quantum computer could solve with ease.

In contrast, PQC algorithms utilize mathematical structures that remain computationally difficult for both classical and quantum machines, such as lattice-based or hash-based cryptography.

From DES to PQC: A Legacy of Standards

NIST has a storied history of cryptographic leadership, beginning with the Data Encryption Standard (DES) in 1977. When DES was eventually overtaken by increased computing power and sophisticated cryptanalysis, NIST hosted a public competition (1997–2000) to standardize the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES).

Following that same spirit of global collaboration, NIST has worked closely with international researchers on PQC. After receiving submissions from 25 countries and conducting a multi-year public security analysis, NIST published three Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) in August 2024:

• FIPS 203: Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism Standard (ML-KEM)
• FIPS 204: Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Standard (ML-DSA)
• FIPS 205: Stateless Hash-Based Digital Signature Standard (SLH-DSA)

Currently, additional PQC standards for digital signature and key-encapsulation mechanism remain under development.

A Race Against Time

The threat quantum computing poses to cybersecurity is not a future problem; it is a present-day vulnerability due to “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” (HNDL) attacks. In this scenario, adversaries capture encrypted data today with the intent of decrypting it once Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computers (CRQC) become available. This makes the protection of long-lived data an immediate priority.

Transitioning a global infrastructure takes years, if not decades. This is particularly challenging for mobile telecommunications, where backward compatibility and interoperability are non-negotiable. Because global networks cannot be updated overnight, standards must be revised to enable cipher suite negotiations that support PQC algorithms while remaining compatible with legacy systems.

Furthermore, public-key cryptography is essential for protecting execution platforms. Systems prevent unauthorized software execution through code signing backed by a hardware root of trust (RoT). Because a hardware RoT often cannot be updated once a device is deployed, equipping new hardware with PQC protection is a critical priority for 2026 and beyond.

Beyond PQC: The Era of Crypto-Agility

The move to PQC is often framed as a defensive necessity, but the reality is far more transformative. The PQC transition is not just a one-time fix but a catalyst for crypto agility. This is the ability to seamlessly replace existing cryptographic algorithms across protocols, software, and hardware without disrupting operational continuity.

The shift we are navigating today is about more than just surviving the quantum era. It is about building a resilient, agile security environment capable of adapting to whatever comes next. The transition to PQC is, ultimately, a transition to the future of secure mobile telecommunication system.

Key Takeaways: The Road Ahead

• A Decade of Progress: 2026 marks the tenth year of the NIST PQC Project, moving from theoretical research to the publication of the first official FIPS standards (FIPS 203, 204, and 205).
• Hardware and Telecom Urgency: Transitioning global infrastructure and mobile networks is a multi-decade challenge. Hardware deployed today must be ready to include PQC protections as standards evolve to support them.
• Embracing Crypto Agility: Success requires more than just a one-time update. It means implementing crypto agility to ensure that critical algorithms can be seamlessly replaced as new threats emerge.