Insider Brief
- Germany’s BMI, BMDS and BSI have published a national guideline for implementing the EU roadmap for transitioning to post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
- The guideline recommends completing migrations for high-risk systems by the end of 2030 at the latest and largely completing the broader transition by 2035.
- The recommendations call for clear migration responsibilities and deadlines, systematic quantum-risk assessments, early coordination with manufacturers and supply chains, and cryptographic agility.
PRESS RELEASE — Quantum computers pose an increasingly real threat to the security of cryptographic methods and thus to cybersecurity itself. The Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and State Modernization (BMDS) and the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) are now jointly publishing the Guideline for the implementation of the EU Roadmap on Post-Quantum Cryptography for Germany. It stems from an initiative by EU member states that had put forward recommendations for an EU-wide coordinated transition to quantum-safe cryptography, so-called post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
Objectives of the Guideline
The national guideline is aimed particularly at federal, state and local governments, as well as organizations and companies, including operators of critical infrastructure. It provides structured recommendations for the transition to quantum-safe cryptography and confirms the timelines of the European Roadmap: high-risk use cases should be switched to quantum-safe methods as early as possible; for these systems, the migration should be completed by the end of 2030 at the latest. The entire transition should be largely completed by 2035.
The measures recommended in the national guideline include, in particular, the establishment of clear responsibilities and binding deadlines for the transition, the consideration of post-quantum cryptography in accordance with the state of the art, the systematic assessment of quantum risk and its anchoring in risk management, and the early involvement of manufacturers and supply chains.
Forward-Looking Approach with Regard to Further Changes
As part of the transition to post-quantum cryptography, it is particularly important to design system architectures, procurement processes and risk management in such a way that cryptographic procedures or their settings, e.g. Key lengths can be exchanged quickly and in a controlled manner in the event of new insights or changed threat situations („cryptoagility“). This is also gaining importance in light of current developments in the field of artificial intelligence: AI is increasing the dynamics in security research and is increasingly accelerating methods for attacks on cryptographic procedures.
The guideline creates BMI, BMDS and BSIa basis for the coordinated transition to quantum-safe cryptography in Germany and provide public and private actors with a framework for the upcoming steps of this transition.