One of the most significant shifts in the field of security is expected to be the migration to post-quantum cryptography (PQC), especially for embedded systems. This transition is crucial due to the evolving capabilities of quantum computers, which pose an unprecedented threat to current cryptographic methods. At the recent embedded world North America conference, Joost Renes, principal security architect and cryptographer at NXP Semiconductors, discussed this shift, highlighting the importance of cryptographic resilience in embedded systems. “Quantum computers have a potential impact on cryptography,” Renes said, underscoring the advancements in quantum computing that could threaten the use of popular algorithms like RSA and ECC. Quantum algorithms like Shor’s and Grover’s could break or weaken these encryption systems, forcing industries to rethink their current reliance on such cryptographic methods. Shor’s algorithm can efficiently solve the prime factorization problem and the discrete logarithm problem, effectively breaking the mathematical foundations of RSA and ECC security. Grover’s algorithm, on the other hand, speeds up the search process, effectively reducing the security level of symmetric encryption schemes like AES or weakening these encryption systems. RSA and ECC, which are based on difficult mathematical problems, become solvable with a sufficiently powerful quantum computer.

Full opinion : Why quantum computers are a threat to present day cryptography and how to migrate towards post-quantum cryptography.

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