Defense Information Systems Agency Solicits for ‘Quantum-Resistance Cryptography’

(DefenseOne.com) The Defense Information Systems Agency is asking security researchers to share ideas for protecting the Pentagon’s IT infrastructure against quantum computers. Though today’s quantum systems are still in their infancy, military officials worry their more powerful successors will be able to easily crack the codes used to secure military networks today.
“The exact time of the arrival of the quantum-computing era is unknown,” DISA officials wrote in a solicitation. “However, [the Defense Department] must begin now to prepare its information security systems to be able to resist attacks from large-scale quantum computers.”
Click here to review the solicitation entitled “Quantum-Resistance Cryptography OTA for Prototype.”
Per the solicitation, DISA is looking for white papers that outline novel encryption algorithms that could withstand attacks from quantum and classical computers. After reviewing proposals, the agency plans to award Other Transaction Authority contracts to build a working prototype of the system.