Post-quantum cryptography (PQC)
양자내성암호(PQC)
New encryption methods designed to be hard to break even for a quantum computer.
Overview
Much of the encryption that protects online banking and messaging today could be broken once a large enough quantum computer exists. Post-quantum cryptography is built on a different kind of math problem that even a quantum computer finds hard to solve.
It runs on today's computers and phones with no special equipment. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalized the first standards in 2024, and many countries and companies are now switching over.
An everyday example
It is like swapping in a new lock ahead of time, one that a thief's new master key cannot open, before the thief has even made that key.
Why it matters
One worry is an attack where someone collects encrypted messages now and breaks them later with a quantum computer. The longer information has to stay secret, the sooner it should be switched over.
Also calledPQC, quantum-safe cryptography, quantum-resistant cryptography