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What Is Post-Quantum Cryptography?
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is cryptography designed to remain secure even when large-scale quantum computers become practical. It focuses mainly on public-key operations such as digital signatures and key exchange.
Why classical crypto is not enough forever
Today, RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC) protect most internet identity and trust systems. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer running Shor's algorithm could solve the hard math behind RSA and ECC, making those systems vulnerable.
What changes with PQC
PQC replaces vulnerable mathematical assumptions with alternatives believed to resist known quantum attacks. Standardized families include ML-KEM for key establishment and ML-DSA for digital signatures.
What does not change
Core security principles still apply: protect private keys, rotate credentials, monitor anomalies, and keep implementation quality high. PQC is not a shortcut around secure engineering.