Securing Data with Quantum Resistant Algorithms: An Introduction to Post-Quantum Resistant Encryption

Securing Data with Quantum Resistant Algorithms: An Introduction to Post-Quantum Resistant Encryption

While modern quantum theory has been utilized for over 100 years, it was not until the 1980s that Paul Benioff first explored the interaction between quantum mechanics and computation.

Since then, quantum computers (QC) have been continually researched by academia, industry, and governments.

In the mid-1990s, Peter Shor published several papers on QC and their potential effect on cryptography. He proposed that a cryptographically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) would break public-key (PKI) systems such as RSAii and Diffie-Hellman, which are still used today.iii A landmark quantum algorithm developed by Peter Shor, which finds prime factors of an integer, has been referred to as Shor’s algorithm ever since.

The goal of post-quantum cryptography (PQC), also called quantum-resistant cryptography (QRC), is to develop cryptographic systems that are secure against both quantum and classical computers and can interoperate with existing communications protocols and networks.

The U.S. government defines a quantum computer in the following way: “The term ‘quantum computer’ means a computer utilizing the collective properties of quantum states, such as superposition, interference, and entanglement, to perform calculations. The foundations in quantum physics give a quantum computer the ability to solve a subset of hard mathematical problems at a much faster rate than a classical (i.e., non-quantum) computer.”

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Steven Petric

Steven Petric

Senior Product Manager

The Product Manager for our data storage solutions, Steven, is a data-driven professional with over 20 years of experience bringing new offerings to market and improving existing offerings. He has a Masters in Business along with Pragmatic Marketing Certification and is a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Dominic Perez

Dominic Perez

CTO

Dominic Perez joined Curtiss-Wright PacStar in 2008 as part of the company’s Quality Department. He took an active role in product development and was part of the team that created the first small form factor (SFF) PacStar 1200-Series modules which evolved into the industry-leading PacStar 400-Series product line. 

In 2013, he led the Quality Systems and Networking Engineering departments, which among other responsibilities created the PacStar Secure Wireless Command Post (SWCP). He was promoted to Vice President of Systems Engineering in 2020 and tasked to lead the development of the company’s next generation of integrated solutions.  In 2021, he was promoted to Chief Technical Officer and appointed a Technical Fellow at Curtiss-Wright.