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Post-Quantum Cryptography: Are You Ready?

the computational resources required to multiple keys and signatures will occupy Most experts suggest large-
encrypt and decrypt data with quantum-safe considerable memory, however, and if it scale quantum computers
functions heavily burden the processor’s becomes a legal requirement, customers will
energy consumption and memory storage. need to revise their platform requirements. will become a reality within
There is also the reality that many MCU-based
products, such as an IoT sensor deployed CURIOSITY AND INFORMATION the next decade and advise
today, have an expected service life of at least GATHERING VITAL FOR THE EMBEDDED that whenever it might
one or even two decades and thus could pose COMMUNITY
a potential security weakness in the future. While hardware vendors are making good happen, being prepared is
Unfortunately, there is no magic way of add- progress in developing their PQC-safe
ing memory to a resource-constrained device, products and support plans, it makes sense the best policy.
nor is there anything an over-the-air software for the rest of the embedded community to
update can fix. start asking questions. Most ARE WE THERE YET?
Ultimately, developing embedded applications rely As we move into the second half of this
new processor solutions on an ecosystem of partners, decade, we’ll see several organizations launch
offers the best approach, but including toolchain provid- quantum computers. Although these will
as NXP’s Bos noted, that can ers, libraries, board support initially be for medical and scientific research,
take many years. Among all packages and RTOSes. a commercial version is highly probable by
the businesses expressing Developers should ask ques- the decade’s end.
interest in PQC, he said, tions about their partners’ Will the semiconductor industry be
“automotive is No. 1. New preparedness and the likely ready for the threats posed by PQC? “Some
hardware for automotive impact on future designs. companies are very proactive; others are still
takes a couple of years, and For a connected IoT sensor, dipping their toes,” Grau said. “Not everyone
anything we design now for example, the security is going to get there at the same time, but the
ends up in production in chain extends through industry will get there, and I think that the
five years and then may be wireless modules, gateways semiconductor industry as a whole will play a
in the market for at least a and cloud service platforms very, very important role in enabling support
decade. So seeing interest Crypto Quantique’s in addition to evaluating the for post-quantum crypto.”
from automotive vendors Shahram Mossayebi overall risks of an adversar- Mossayebi echoed this view, noting that it
years back and not knowing ial attack. The timeline is will take a couple of years for large semi-
which team’s submissions would get stan- an essential consideration, too, as many IoT conductor companies to put products on the
dardized, we had to prepare ourselves with devices deployed today will need to be in shelf.
the common elements of all the finalists.” service during a migration period, potentially Overall, the semiconductor industry is on
Another challenge for vendors is that supporting classic and quantum-resistant the right track, supported by a broad ecosys-
they may need to incorporate existing and algorithms. tem of software partners, regulatory bodies
quantum-safe security algorithms into their Extra memory space for the longer keys and and national cybersecurity organizations.
lineup in the short term, further impact- more extensive security libraries are crucial In the meantime, the advice to all is to stay
ing storage space. Bos believes this hybrid considerations, according to Bos. “People are informed, be curious and keep doing your
security approach, supporting classical and looking at how they can extend the memory a research. ■
post-quantum cryptographic methods, is bit, looking at where keys are stored already,”
one that many European governments also he said. “Reserve space for post-quantum keys Robert Huntley is a contributing writer for
favor during a migration period. Storing now.” EE Times Europe.

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

MARCH 2023 | www.eetimes.eu