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Glossary
Post-quantum cryptography

Symmetric cryptography

Cryptography where the same secret key both encrypts and decrypts. It is far less affected by quantum computing than public-key cryptography — Grover's algorithm only halves the effective key strength.

In practice

AES-256 retains roughly 128 bits of security against a quantum attacker, which is ample.

Related terms

Grover's algorithm

A quantum search algorithm that finds an item in an unstructured set of N in roughly √N steps. Against symmetric cryptography this halves effective key strength — a nuisance answered by doubling key sizes, not a break.

AES

The standard symmetric block cipher used for bulk encryption. AES is not broken by quantum computers: Grover's algorithm gives only a square-root speedup, so AES-256 remains secure and AES-128 remains adequate for most uses.

Public-key cryptography

Cryptography using a mathematically linked key pair: a public key that can be shared, and a private key that must not be. It is the part of modern cryptography that quantum computers threaten most directly.

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