Towards a Post-Quantum Cryptography April 26, 2021CNRS The quantum computing revolution will make many concepts and devices obsolete, thereby generating certain security problems. The National Institute of Standards and Technology in the US has organised an international competition to establish new cryptographic principles. The researcher Adeline Roux-Langlois sheds light on the issues involved. In what ways do quantum technologies pose a threat to cryptography? Adeline Roux-Langlois:1 Cryptography is based on mathematical problems that are extremely difficult for conventional computers to solve or avoid. However, the quantum machines of the future will be able to do so more easily, making our protection systems obsolete. For now, quantum computers are not powerful or advanced enough to defeat today’s cryptographic protocols, but it is important to prepare for them.