NSA puts new national-security systems on a quantum-resistant deadline

An NSA announcement dated 1 October sets out a transition timetable tied to Committee on National Security Systems Policy 15. New commercial National Security Systems must be capable of supporting quantum-resistant algorithms from 2027, the agency says.

Legacy systems unable to support the algorithms are to be phased out by 2030. NSA also warned that adversaries collect encrypted information in anticipation of future decryption capabilities.

The agency’s guidance addresses authentication as well as the confidentiality of encrypted data. Its announcement describes a policy and a threat assessment; implementation progress requires separate evidence.