Abstract:

To most people, including those in higher education, quantum computing remains a mystery, although the idea of quantum computers was proposed as early as the 1980s (Microsoft, 2023). A quantum computer was proposed as a hypothetical machine based on quantum physics. As noted by Peter W. Shor in 1998, quantum computers “… will be very difficult to build; currently experimental physicists are working on two- and three-bit quantum computers, and useful quantum computers would require hundreds to thousands of bits.” (Shor, 1998) Although quantum technology is still years away from commercial or military use, it has advanced quickly with companies like IBM, Quantinuum, and IonQ publishing aggressive product road maps (Williams and Cherney, 2022). Along with the advancement in quantum computing by technology companies, the United States government has made several quantum-computing-related legislation and standardizations in 2022/2023.

In 12/2022, President Biden signed the first quantum computing cybersecurity bill into law; the legislation requires the Office of Management and Budget to prioritize federal agencies’ acquisition of and migration to IT systems with post-quantum cryptography (Jones, 2022). Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), also known as Quantum-Resistant Cryptography (QRC), represents standardized computer algorithms to be chosen as the next-generation cryptographical methods, which are sufficient to mitigate the threats posed by the emerging quantum computing technology on the security of current and future computing systems. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is the federal agency in charge of technology standardization, including the future post-quantum cryptographical methods. On July 5, 2022, NIST announced the first four quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms. A year later, “NIST released draft standards for three of the four algorithms it selected in 2022.” (NIST, 2023)

In the completed version of this paper, we will present our work on incorporating PQC into computer science and information systems education, addressing particularly the following topics:
(a) What is Quantum Computing;
(b) The threat of quantum computing against classical cryptography;
(c) What is PQC; and
(d) Assignments and/or virtual labs for students and educators to learn and practice PQC.

References:
[1] Jones, John H. (2022) Biden signs quantum computing cybersecurity bill into law. FEDSCOOP. December 21, 2022. Online (accessed on Nov. 19, 2023: https://fedscoop.com/biden-signs-quantum-computing-cybersecurity-act-into-law/)
[2] Microsoft (2023). Quantum computing history and background. Learn.Microsoft.com. Online (accessed on Nov. 19, 2023: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/quantum/concepts-overview)
[3] NIST (2023). NIST to Standardize Encryption Algorithms That Can Resist Attack by Quantum Computers. NIST. Online (accessed on August 24, 2023: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2023/08/nist-standardize-encryption-algorithms-can-resist-attack-quantum-computers)
[4] Shor, Peter W. (1998). Quantum Computing. Documenta Mathematica, Extra Volume ICM 1998, I, 467-486.
[5] Williams, Joe and Cherney, Max A. (2022) Biden’s push for new quantum controls has one big problem: Nobody knows where to draw the line. Protocol. November 2, 2022. Online (accessed on Nov. 19, 2023: https://www.protocol.com/enterprise/quantum-computing-export-controls)

Keywords:

Quantum Computing, Post-Quantum Cryptography, Computer Science Education, Information Systems Education.