The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released a roadmap for moving to post-quantum cryptography (PQC), with earlier deadlines for certain sensitive federal systems.
The report, Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography Standards (NIST IR 8547), explains which cryptographic methods need to be replaced, what organizations should consider and how the transition will unfold.
It builds on the post-quantum cryptography standards NIST released in August 2024. Those standards provide new ways to protect information against attacks by future quantum computers.
Although the federal requirements do not apply to all businesses, the roadmap matters to technology providers and organizations that work with government agencies.
“We understand there’s not one strategy that fits all use cases, and we want to help people handle their migration while staying abreast of what’s changing,” said NIST mathematician Dustin Moody, who heads the PQC standardization project.
Why organizations need to prepare
Cryptography helps keep information private and verify that messages, software and online services are authentic. It supports activities such as accessing websites, exchanging business information and installing software updates.
A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could break some widely used methods that provide those protections. While such computers are still in development, waiting for their arrival would leave organizations little time to respond.
Information being exchanged now could be at risk. Attackers could collect encrypted data and hold it until quantum technology allows them to read it. This is known as “harvest now, decrypt later.”
That makes preparation particularly important for organizations handling information that must remain confidential for many years, such as medical records or government secrets.
What migration involves
Moving to post-quantum cryptography involves more than changing a setting or installing a single update. Organizations depend on software libraries, security hardware, digital certificates and communications protocols that must support the new methods.
An organization’s ability to upgrade may depend on when vendors update their products and whether the updated products are compatible with other systems.
NIST notes that previous cryptographic transitions have taken 10 to 20 years. It urges organizations to identify where cryptography is used, plan changes and begin deploying products and services that support PQC.
Systems that protect information that must remain confidential for many years should receive earlier attention, while lower-risk applications may move later.
Earlier deadlines for sensitive federal systems
National Security Memorandum 10 established 2035 as the target for completing the federal migration to PQC. Executive Order 14412 and OMB Memorandum M-26-15 require federal high-value assets, high-impact systems and other prioritized sensitive systems to move sooner. These systems must adopt quantum-resistant key-establishment methods by December 31, 2030. These enable systems to establish shared secret keys to protect information.
The deadline for quantum-resistant digital signatures is December 31, 2031. Digital signatures help establish who issued a message, document or software update and if the signed content has been altered.
Separately, Executive Order 14306 and OMB Memorandum M-26-15 require federal agencies to support TLS version 1.3, a protocol used to secure network communications, by January 2, 2030.
What the phaseout means
NIST will deprecate quantum-vulnerable public-key cryptography after 2030 and disallow its use under NIST standards and guidelines after 2035.
Deprecation means the methods may still be used, but data owners must assess the associated security risk and decide whether to continue using them. Disallowance means their use is prohibited for the specified purpose.
“We lay out how certain encryption algorithms people are using today will get phased out,” Moody said. “It’s important to know how a given algorithm might be disallowed in federal systems after a certain date, for instance, or whether it will be allowed but at the user’s own risk. Factors like this can help an organization plan.”
Systems that cannot support PQC should be identified and prioritized for replacement or decommissioning.
NIST will coordinate with industry and standards organizations as the transition progresses. Its National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence is developing practical migration resources to help organizations put the standards into use.
