Summary: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has added HQC as a fifth algorithm to its post-quantum cryptography (PQC) portfolio, with plans to draft a standard by 2026 and finalize it by 2027. It aims to provide a backup for ML-KEM while emphasizing the importance of migrating to finalized standards. NIST encourages organizations to adopt PQC now rather than wait for backup options, ensuring crypto agility in their encryption systems.
Affected: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Keypoints:
- NIST selects HQC as a fifth algorithm to enhance its PQC key-establishment portfolio.
- ML-KEM remains the primary recommended algorithm, while HQC will serve as a backup.
- Organizations are urged to migrate to finalized encryption standards to ensure crypto agility.
Source: https://www.securityweek.com/nist-announces-hqc-as-fifth-standardized-post-quantum-algorithm/