White House Sets 2030–2031 Deadlines for Agencies to Adopt Post-Quantum Cryptography

The White House issued an executive order titled Securing the Nation against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks that requires computing systems designated as high-value assets and high-impact systems to transition to post-quantum cryptographic key establishment schemes by December 31, 2030, and to quantum-safe digital signature schemes by December 31, 2031.

Ars Technica reported the order. The deadlines are about five years sooner than prior guidance for many organizations.

Under a 2022 National Security Agency timeline, National Security Systems were to become quantum-ready between 2030 and 2033, while most other organizations had until 2035. The order establishes a government-wide transition coordination process led by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the National Cyber Director.

Each federal agency must designate a point person to report progress on the quantum transition to those officials.

It directs the Secretary of State to work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the National Cyber Director, and the Director of National Intelligence to encourage foreign governments and industry groups to adopt NIST-standardized post-quantum algorithms.

The order also directs NIST and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to issue guidance on cryptographic bills of materials and establishes new procurement rules for covered contractors. A second executive order directs the federal government, in partnership with private industry, to support quantum computing through a national effort to develop the world’s first quantum computer powerful enough to initiate the era of quantum-enabled scientific discovery.