The NCSC, which is run by the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCI Agency), protects NATO networks around the clock and works with UK company Post-Quantum to conduct the test. The trial started in March 2021 and was completed in early 2022.
Post-Quantum provides organizations with different algorithms to ensure security even if attackers are using quantum computing. A VPN can use algorithms to secure communications, ensuring that only the correct recipient can read the data, the company claimed.
Post-Quantum’s encryption algorithm NTS-KEM (now known as Classic McEliece, after merging with the submission from renowned cryptographer Professor Daniel Bernstein), is now the only ‘code-based’ finalist in the NIST contest to identify a cryptographic standard to replace RSA and Elliptic Curve, for Public-Key Cryptography (PKC). The company has also designed a new specification for a quantum-safe VPN as part of the Internet Engineering Taskforce (IETF). (ZDNet)