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Forge 101

New algorithms explained

🔒 How Encryption Works Today

Today's encryption (RSA, ECC) relies on math problems that take billions of years to solve on classical computers.

⚠️ Quantum Computers Change Everything

Quantum computers solve those specific problems efficiently. A powerful enough quantum computer could break RSA and ECC in hours.

⚠️ RSA and ECC protect nearly all encrypted communication today. Both will be vulnerable to quantum computers.

🕵️ Harvest Now, Decrypt Later

Attackers can record encrypted traffic today and decrypt it once quantum computers arrive. Long-lived data — medical records, government secrets, financial records — is most at risk.

⏰ When?

NSA guidance (CNSA 2.0) plans for quantum capability by 2035. Data recorded today may still matter when that day arrives.

🧮 Different Problems, Same Job

The fix: use math that quantum computers also find hard. New algorithms do the same jobs as the old ones with different math underneath.

🔓
Old (Quantum Vulnerable)

RSA, ECDSA, X25519

→
🔐
New (Quantum Safe)

ML-KEM, ML-DSA, SLH-DSA

🏛️ NIST Picked the Winners

After an eight-year global competition, NIST published the final post-quantum standards in August 2024:

  • 🔑ML-KEM (FIPS 203) — Key encapsulation. Replaces ECDH and X25519.
  • ✍️ML-DSA (FIPS 204) — Digital signatures. Replaces RSA and ECDSA signatures.
  • 🛡️SLH-DSA (FIPS 205) — Hash-based signatures. Backup option using different math.
✅ These are not experimental. They are published NIST standards with assigned FIPS numbers. They are ready for production use.

📦 The Trade-Off: Size

Post-quantum keys and signatures are significantly larger than classical ones.

RSA-2048
Key
256 B
ML-KEM-768
Key
1.2 KB
ECDSA
Sig
64 B
ML-DSA-65
Sig
3.3 KB
📊 Keys are about 5x larger. Signatures are about 50x larger. This affects bandwidth, storage, and handshake time.

🔀 Hybrid Mode: Use Both

Hybrid mode runs classical and post-quantum algorithms together. If either holds, your data stays safe.

🔐
X25519 + ML-KEM-768

The most common hybrid for TLS. Already supported in Chrome, Firefox, and Cloudflare.

🛡️
Why Hybrid?

If the new math has a flaw, the old math still protects you. If quantum breaks the old math, the new math protects you.

✅ Hybrid mode is the recommended transition approach.