The fact that quantum computers may one day easily crack modern public key encryption does not mean that encryption, or even public key encryption is doomed. There are a range of alternatives which are "quantum resistant". A
report from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) contained a table that prime facie does not bode well for the encryption in use today, and spells the end for public key encryption:
However, we already have several candidates at our disposal which look to be quantum resistant. In public key encryption there are a number of complex problems which appear to be possible replacements for the
one way functions at the heart of the likes of
RSA and
ECDSA.
