What is quantum-safe cryptography?

This episode of Techsplainers explores quantum-safe cryptography, the security approach designed to protect sensitive data, digital access, and communications in the era of quantum computing. The episode explains why modern cryptography has remained so effective for decades, and why future quantum systems could eventually threaten widely used public-key methods such as RSA, Diffie-Hellman, and elliptic curve cryptography. Listeners are guided through the basics of encryption and authentication, the difference between public-key and symmetric cryptography, and how quantum algorithms such as Shor’s and Grover’s change the long-term security picture. The discussion also clarifies an important distinction: quantum-safe cryptography is not the same as quantum cryptography. The episode also covers why this issue matters now, including long migration timelines, “harvest now, decrypt later” risks, the role of NIST standards, and the importance of crypto-agility. Find more information at https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/quantum-safe-cryptography Find all the Techsplainers episodes here: https://www.ibm.biz/techsplainers-podcast Narrated by Teaganne Finn