Brian LaMacchia
Microsoft Research

The Long Road Ahead to Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography

Bio: Brian LaMacchia is a Microsoft Corporation Distinguished Engineer and heads the Security and Cryptography team within Microsoft Research. His team’s main project at present is the development of quantum-resistant public-key cryptographic algorithms and protocols. Brian is also a founding member of the Microsoft Cryptography Review Board and consults on security and cryptography architectures, protocols, and implementations across the company. Additionally, Brian is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University-Bloomington and an Affiliate Faculty member of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington. Brian also currently serves as Treasurer of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR) and as a Vice President of the Board of Directors of Seattle Opera. Brian received S.B., S.M., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 1990, 1991, and 1996, respectively.

Abstract: The transition to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is underway and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently announced the first PQC encryption and digital signature algorithms they have selected for standardization. These initial selections by NIST mean that work will now begin in earnest to update our commonly used security protocols with these new algorithms, even as the NIST PQC activity continues for several more years and will likely yield additional choices for standardization in the future. In parallel with these standardization activities, users and organizations across the Internet can and should start planning now for their own migrations to PQC. My talk will explore the history and current landscape of the PQC transition including projected timelines for PQC deliverables from NIST and other standards bodies, concrete steps to take today to prepare for your own transition to PQC, and what resources are available to help.