APIsPricingDocsWhite PaperTokenBlogAboutSecurity Demo
Log InGet API Key

Post-Quantum Migration Guide:
How to Prepare Before RSA and ECC Break

A practical guide to post-quantum migration, quantum risk assessment, plaintext exposure, encrypted compute, and cryptographic proof.

Run the Quantum Risk Assessment →

2 minutes. No signup. Instant results.

What post-quantum migration actually means

Post-quantum migration is not about replacing every algorithm overnight. It is about identifying the specific places where your systems rely on mathematics that quantum computers will break — and replacing those points before the data they protect becomes readable.

The algorithms at risk are RSA and ECC. They rely on factoring large integers and solving elliptic curve discrete logarithms — problems that Shor's algorithm solves efficiently on a quantum computer. When that hardware arrives, every key exchange and signature using RSA or ECC becomes transparent.

AES and SHA-256 are not at risk. Symmetric encryption and hash functions remain quantum-resistant. Your data-at-rest encryption stays. Your integrity checks stay. The migration surface is narrower than most organizations think.

In simple terms

Post-quantum migration means replacing RSA and ECC with quantum-safe algorithms like ML-KEM and ML-DSA, without exposing data or breaking systems. The rest of your stack stays the same.

Why RSA and ECC are the obvious part

Every security team knows RSA and ECC need to go. NIST finalized replacements in August 2024: FIPS 203 (ML-KEM for key exchange) and FIPS 204 (ML-DSA for signatures). The algorithms exist. The libraries exist. The migration path is documented.

But algorithm replacement is only part of the problem.

The hidden risk: plaintext exposure

Most breaches don't happen because encryption was broken. They happen because data was readable somewhere in the system — in an API response, a log file, an analytics pipeline, an AI inference request.

Post-quantum migration that only replaces algorithms but leaves plaintext exposure points intact is solving half the problem. Data visible in plaintext doesn't need a quantum computer to steal. It needs an API exploit, a log aggregator compromise, or a misconfigured dashboard.

The Quantum Risk Assessment maps your plaintext exposure alongside your cryptographic vulnerabilities — because both matter.

Store-now-decrypt-later explained

Adversaries are capturing encrypted network traffic today with the intention of decrypting it when quantum computers mature. This is called "harvest now, decrypt later" (HNDL) and it is not theoretical. Nation-state actors have been documented doing this.

The implication: data encrypted with RSA or ECC key exchange today is already at risk — not because the encryption is broken now, but because it will be broken later. Data with long confidentiality requirements (medical records, financial data, trade secrets, legal communications) is the primary target.

Every day without post-quantum key exchange is another day of HNDL exposure.

Why AI systems increase quantum-era risk

AI and LLM systems process sensitive data — but in most architectures, that data is decrypted before inference. The AI sees plaintext. Prompts, embeddings, and outputs are often logged or cached. This creates a massive exposure surface that exists independently of quantum threats.

Post-quantum migration must include AI workflows. Encrypted compute (FHE) allows AI to process data while it remains encrypted — eliminating the decryption step entirely. This is not theoretical. H33's FHE engines run encrypted inference at production scale.

Find out exactly where your system is exposed — quantum risk and plaintext visibility mapped in 2 minutes.

Run the assessment →

Migration checklist

Phase 1 — Immediate

  • Inventory all RSA and ECC usage (TLS, certificates, JWT, API auth)
  • Identify data with confidentiality requirements beyond 2030
  • Deploy post-quantum hybrid key exchange on external-facing systems
  • Remove sensitive data from logs and observability pipelines
  • Implement automated key rotation

Phase 2 — Near-term (30–90 days)

  • Add application-layer encryption beyond TLS
  • Encrypt internal service-to-service communication
  • Reduce plaintext in API request/response payloads
  • Segment sensitive AI workflows from general processing

Phase 3 — Structural

  • Add encrypted compute for sensitive workloads (FHE)
  • Eliminate unnecessary decryption points across the stack
  • Move AI inference to encrypted pipelines

Phase 4 — Verifiable

  • Add cryptographic attestation for every sensitive data operation
  • Prove what data was processed and whether it was exposed
  • Enable independent third-party verification of protection state
  • Make verification continuous, not periodic

How to prioritize systems

Immediate: Systems handling data with 10+ year confidentiality requirements. Medical records, financial data, legal communications, trade secrets. These are active HNDL targets.

Soon: Authentication and session management. Auth tokens signed with RSA or ECDSA are compromised the moment quantum computing matures. Session keys established via ECDH can be retroactively decrypted.

Planned: Internal systems, development environments, data without long-term confidentiality requirements.

How to prove data was protected

After a breach, the first question is always: "Was data exposed?" If you can't prove it wasn't, you're assumed compromised — regardless of what encryption you had in place.

Cryptographic attestation provides mathematical proof of data state at any point in time. Not a log. Not a report. A proof that any third party can independently verify.

HATS (H33 Attestation Trust Standard) provides continuous, independently verifiable proof that data protection controls are operating as declared. The proof is cryptographic. The verification is independent. The math is the authority.

Key takeaway

You can run post-quantum cryptography in production today without rebuilding your infrastructure. The migration surface is narrower than most organizations expect. The urgency is real — store-now-decrypt-later attacks are active.

Run the Quantum Risk Assessment

Find your quantum exposure, plaintext visibility, and proof gaps in 2 minutes.

See your exposure →