"quantum computers will break all encryption"

cryptographysecurity

Shor's algorithm threatens today's public-key math (RSA, elliptic curves) on a large fault-tolerant quantum computer - which does not yet exist. Symmetric ciphers and hashes mostly just double their key sizes.

NIST published post-quantum standards in 2024 (FIPS 203, 204, 205) precisely so migration happens before such machines do; 'harvest now, decrypt later' is the real present-day risk.

Disputed / commonly mistold A popular version of this story is inaccurate - see the note above.

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