With around 26,000 qubits, the encryption could be broken in a day, the researchers report in a paper submitted March 30 to arXiv.org. Another prevalent form of encryption, RSA–2048, would require 100,000 qubits and 10 days to break, according to the researchers, from Caltech and quantum computing company Oratomic in Pasadena, Calif.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology finalized its first three post-quantum cryptography standards on August 13, 2024, giving the technology industry a concrete set of tools to begin replacing encryption methods that quantum computers could eventually break.

Network encryption was designed for a world in which adversaries needed to break cryptography in real time to extract value. That world is shifting.

With 90% of organizations unprepared for quantum threats, the shift to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is a structural necessity. Explore the "harvest now, decrypt later" risk and the NIST PQC standards.

Nation-states and malicious actors are collecting encrypted data so they can read it with future quantum computers. These risks prompted the National Institute of Standards and Technology to devise post-quantum encryption standards that give organizations practical tools for managing potential threats.