Announcing 3 drafts of National Standards on post-quantum cryptography

(Dan Tri) - The event marks a strategic step forward, affirming Vietnam's ability to be autonomous in core cryptographic technology to proactively protect national data security against the remarkable development of quantum computing.

Proactively protect data security

On October 17 in Hanoi, the Government Cipher Committee chaired a scientific conference to announce 3 drafts of National Standards (TCVN) on post-quantum cryptography algorithms (Post-Quantum Cryptography - PQC) used in the field of civil cryptography.

The three draft standards officially made public include: Post-quantum digital signature algorithm based on the HB-PQSign hash function researched and owned by Vietnam; The ML-KEM key packaging mechanism references the international standard ISO/IEC 18033-2:2006/Amd.2:2026; and ML-DSA structured grid-based digital signature based on FIPS 204 standard.

The conference took place on the morning of October 17 in Hanoi (Photo: Minh Nhat).

Draft standards and technical specifications have now been packaged into open technical specifications at the Ministry of National Defense's Electronic Information Portal.

Thereby, inviting the scientific community and cryptanalysis experts at home and abroad to participate in criticism and evaluation to perfect and best optimize the algorithm before putting it into practical application.

The birth of draft standards takes place in the context of future quantum computer systems carrying modern cryptographic algorithms such as Shor or Grover, capable of completely breaking traditional public key cryptography systems (RSA, ECC) that protect today's digital infrastructure.

More dangerously, the attack strategy "Collect first, decrypt later" (Harvest Now, Decrypt Later) is a direct threat to state secret data and important long-term stored information.

Major General Ho Van Huong - Deputy Head, Government Cipher Committee (Photo: Minh Nhat).

Major General Ho Van Huong - Deputy Head, Government Cipher Committee emphasized: "The strategic challenge 'Collect first - Decode later' requires countries, including Vietnam, to have a proactive roadmap, one step ahead in converting to a quantum-resistant cryptographic system."

According to Major General Huong, implementing the Resolutions of the Politburo, the Government Cipher Committee always determines that the top key task is to proactively research, apply and master the most advanced core cryptographic technologies to firmly protect state secrets, national security and digital sovereignty in cyberspace.

To solve the problem of technological autonomy, the Government Cipher Committee does not choose the path of passive application of international algorithms but focuses on simultaneously mastering all 4 core technology layers: Mathematical design and proof; code detective; Secure installation and hardware manufacturing; standardization and inspection.

Mastering the theoretical basis of proving safety in the quantum random oracle model (QROM) and advanced techniques helps confirm that the algorithms do not contain defects or structural weaknesses.

Assessing the importance of core technology autonomy, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Toan - Director of the Institute of Cryptographic Science and Technology, Government Cipher Committee shared: "The outstanding development of quantum computing is putting current cryptographic systems at risk of being completely broken.

Dr. Nguyen Quoc Toan - Director of the Institute of Cryptographic Science and Technology, Government Cipher Committee (Photo: Minh Nhat).

The transition to post-quantum cryptography is not simply a change in algorithms, but a competition for mastery of core technology.

Cryptographic core technology cannot be bought, sold or imported because it is directly related to the security of each country; It can only be accumulated over time and with the right people."

National transformation roadmap and the problem of high quality human resources

In addition to announcing technical standards, the October 17 conference also clarified Vietnam's quantum-resistant cryptographic conversion roadmap for the period 2026-2035 according to Decision No. 125/QD-TTg and Decision No. 1226/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister.

The roadmap is designed according to the principle of "cautious, synchronous and uninterrupted", taking post-quantum cryptography (PQC) as a wide-area solution and quantum key distribution (QKD) selectively applied to critical communication networks.

Experts discuss the draft (Photo: Minh Nhat).

The national transformation roadmap is divided into 4 strategic phases:

By 2027: Promulgate a full set of national technical standards TCVN on PQC algorithms, products and equipment.

By 2030: Complete the transformation and integration of PQC under the hybrid mechanism for important information systems for national security.

By 2033: Issue additional national standards TCVN on both PQC and QKD.

By 2035: Complete 100% conversion to quantum-resistant cryptographic systems across all key information systems.

However, the path from theoretical research to practical implementation on a national scale is facing many major barriers.

PQC systems require much larger key capacity and digital signatures than traditional cryptosystems, putting pressure on PKI infrastructure and resource-constrained hardware devices. At the same time, the system must meet the ability to "crypto-agility" to be ready to update when new cryptanalysis methods appear.

The most decisive challenge today is high-quality human resources. Training an independent cryptographic algorithm designer requires years of accumulating deep interdisciplinary knowledge of algebraic mathematics, lattice theory, quantum physics, and implementing security against adjacent channel attacks.

To remove human resource bottlenecks, the Government Cipher Committee proposes fundamental solutions: Forming a core group of experts according to 4 pillars of capacity; linking graduate student training with national cryptography projects; sending young staff to train at the world's leading centers; At the same time, apply a special remuneration mechanism in the spirit of Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW of the Politburo.

Emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary coordination in this long-term journey, Major General Ho Van Huong affirmed: "Converting quantum-resistant cryptography is a long-term journey, requiring close and synchronous coordination between state management agencies, research institutes, universities and leading technology corporations."