CISA publishes a post-quantum shopping list for agencies. Security professionals aren’t sold
CISA publishes a post-quantum shopping list for agencies. Security professionals aren’t sold
https://cyberscoop.com/cisa-post-quantum-cryptography-procurement-guide-expert-criticism/
Publish Date: 2026-01-26 19:21:00
Source Domain: cyberscoop.com
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency is hoping to guide federal agencies through the murky process of updating their technology stack with quantum-resistant encryption.
On Jan. 23, the agency released a list of different IT software and hardware products that are commonly purchased by the federal government and use cryptographic algorithms for encryption or authentication.
The guidance covers cloud services like Platform-as-a-Service and Infrastructure-as-a-Service, collaboration software, web software like browsers and servers, and endpoint security tools that provide full disk and at-rest data encryption.
CISA pointed to these products as examples where hardware and software post-quantum cryptography standards are “widely available” and designed “to protect sensitive information…including after the advent of a cryptographically relevant quantum computer (CRQC).”
Federal agencies and the private sector are preparing for the long-term threat posed by quantum computers, which many cryptographers believe will one day be able to break through some forms of classical encryption.
The federal government is currently operating under an executive order mandating that agencies shift most of their high value systems and devices to post-quantum encryption by 2035. Last year, the Trump administration held discussions with allies and quantum industry executives about a potential executive order that would further move up that timeline.
National security officials have cited concerns that foreign nations could be harvesting encrypted data now in the hopes of accessing them once a quantum codebreaking computer is developed. Industry executives have also pointed to lingering concerns around China’s burgeoning quantum industry as another factor making U.S. businesses and policymakers in Washington nervous.
However, the transition to quantum-resistant encryption protocols is expected to be a massive societal task, one…
