NIST’s pleasant post-quantum surprise

This post details NIST's announcement of the first four post-quantum cryptographic algorithms to be standardized: Kyber for key agreement and three signature schemes. It explains the threat posed by quantum computers to current public-key cryptography (RSA, ECC) via Shor's algorithm, distinguishing between symmetric encryption, key agreement, and digital signatures. The post analyzes Kyber's performance characteristics compared to X25519 and RSA, noting its speed but larger key sizes. It also discusses the implications for TLS and the potential for hybrid deployments. The post also briefly mentions other KEM finalists and candidates proceeding to a fourth round.