Post Quantum Cryptography Framework for Energy Aware Contexts

In the last three decades, public key cryptography has become an indispensable component of global communication digital infrastructure.

These networks support a plethora of applications that are important to our economy, our security, and our way of life, such as mobile phones, internet commerce, social networks, and cloud computing.

In such a connected world, the ability of individuals, businesses and governments to communicate securely is of the utmost importance.

At the moment, the quantum threat is theoretical as quantum computers that fulfill the requirements of Shors and Grovers algorithms for long keys are not available, but it is evident that widely used RSA, ECDSA, ECDH, and DSA cryptosystems will need to be replaced by post-quantum cryptography (PQC).

The need for addressing this problem early enough has been recognized by various relevant organizations and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has started an effort to identify cryptographic algorithms able to withstand quantum computer attacks by 2022 and make them available by 2024.

The main objective of PQ-REACT project is to design, develop and validate a framework for a faster and smoother transition from classical to post-quantum cryptography for a wide variety of contexts and usage domains, while leveraging Europe's most powerful Quantum infrastructure (IBM Quantum Computer from Fraunhofer FOKUS).

This framework will include PQC migration paths and cryptographic agility methods and will develop a portfolio of tools for validation of post quantum cryptographic systems, that will allow users to switch to post-quantum cryptography, taking under consideration their individualities and various contexts and a wide variety of real world pilots, i.e., Smart Grids, 5G and Ledgers.

The project will also foster a series of open calls for SMEs and other stakeholders to bring and test their PQC algorithms and external pilots on the PQ-REACT, Quantum Computing Infrastructure.