The standards are here
In August 2024 NIST published its first post-quantum standards: ML-KEM for key establishment (FIPS 203), and ML-DSA (FIPS 204) and SLH-DSA (FIPS 205) for digital signatures.
In November 2024 it followed with a draft transition plan, NIST IR 8547. It proposes deprecating quantum-vulnerable public-key algorithms at the 112-bit security level, such as RSA-2048 and ECC P-256, in 2030, and disallowing them in 2035. The document is still a draft, but it is the clearest signal of where regulators and large customers are heading.
Why act before quantum computers arrive
Data encrypted today can be recorded and decrypted later. For health records, financial data or anything that must stay confidential for ten years or more, that risk already exists.
Symmetric encryption such as AES-256 is not the main concern. The exposure is in key exchange and signatures: TLS, VPNs, code signing, SSO tokens and document signing.
A realistic 2026 plan
Inventory where public-key cryptography is used, including libraries, certificates, HSMs and third-party services. Rank systems by how long their data must stay secret. Then make sure new systems are 'crypto-agile' so algorithms can be swapped without rewrites.
Hybrid modes that combine a classical and a post-quantum algorithm are already available in major TLS libraries and are a sensible first deployment.
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