For half a century, public key infrastructure (PKI) has formed the secure cryptographic backbone for all digital systems. PKI provide the trust needed to secure digital systems of all kinds, from enterprise to critical national infrastructure. Underpinning all digital aspects of consumers’ and businesses’ lives, from emails to algorithms, PKI is a ubiquitous technology which is behind every digital operation.
Behind the encryption digital certificates provide are two cryptographic algorithms: RSA 2048 (Rivest – Shamir – Adleman) and ECC 256 (elliptic-curve cryptography). They encrypt content by creating cryptographic keys which secure data so that only the correct recipient can decode the message the sender creates. This allows enterprises to securely transact business within their own networks and wider, and make sure digital operations are secure. However, RSA 2048 and ECC 256 will soon become unfit for purpose when quantum computing becomes powerful and stable enough to easily decrypt them.
