Standards & references
The standards that anchor everything: NIST, CISA, FIDO2, and more.
NIST PQC standards
FIPS 203 / 204 / 205 and what replaces what.
The NIST post-quantum standards, and what each one replaces
In August 2024 NIST published the first three finished post-quantum standards: FIPS 203, 204, and 205. Here is what each is for, what classical algorithm it replaces, and what is still coming.
FIPS 203 (ML-KEM): the standard that replaces RSA and ECDH key exchange
ML-KEM is the post-quantum key-encapsulation mechanism that protects your handshakes against harvest-now-decrypt-later. What a KEM is, how ML-KEM differs from RSA/ECDH, and how to deploy it.
Post-quantum signatures: ML-DSA, SLH-DSA, and FN-DSA compared
Signatures are the other half of the migration. FIPS 204 (ML-DSA) is the default, FIPS 205 (SLH-DSA) is the conservative hash-based option, and FN-DSA is the compact one still in draft. When to use which.
NIST SP 800-63B
Modern password and digital-identity guidance.
What NIST SP 800-63B actually says about passwords
The modern, evidence-based password rules: 8-character minimum (15+ recommended), allow paste and password managers, screen against breach corpora, and stop forcing rotation and composition rules.
Why 800-63B dropped forced rotation and complexity rules
The old password rules were built on assumptions that turned out to be wrong. Here is the reasoning behind killing composition requirements and scheduled expiration, and how to explain it to skeptics.
CISA guidance
PQC roadmap, phishing-resistant MFA, Secure Our World.
CISA's post-quantum roadmap: inventory, engage, prioritize
CISA's Post-Quantum Cryptography Initiative and its joint quantum-readiness guidance with NSA and NIST tell organizations what to do now, before the algorithms are everywhere. The three concrete steps.
CISA on phishing-resistant MFA and Secure Our World
CISA's authentication guidance is blunt: not all MFA is equal. FIDO2/WebAuthn and PKI-based MFA resist phishing; SMS and push do not. Plus the four everyday habits behind the Secure Our World campaign.
FIDO2 / WebAuthn / passkeys
The phishing-resistant authentication standards.
How FIDO2 and WebAuthn make phishing structurally impossible
FIDO2 replaces the shared secret with a key pair and binds the credential to the site's origin. That single design choice is why passkeys resist phishing where passwords and one-time codes cannot.
Device-bound vs synced passkeys: which to require
Passkeys come in two flavours: hardware-bound keys that never leave one device, and synced passkeys backed up to a cloud keychain. They trade assurance for convenience differently. How to choose per use case.
IETF, ETSI, BSI & ISO
The other bodies and what each one is for.
IETF and hybrid TLS 1.3 key exchange
NIST defines the algorithms; the IETF defines how they travel over the wire. The headline output is hybrid key exchange for TLS 1.3: combining X25519 with ML-KEM so recorded handshakes stay safe.
ETSI, BSI, ISO/IEC and the rest: who does what
A one-line orientation to the other standards bodies you will meet in a post-quantum program (the European telecoms group, the German federal office, and the international standards organization) and where each fits.
Compliance mapping
Which standard satisfies which obligation.
Which standard satisfies which obligation
A cross-reference from the thing you are required to do (post-quantum migration, phishing-resistant MFA, modern password policy, validated crypto) to the specific standard that defines how to do it.
The US federal post-quantum mandates, mapped
If you sell to or operate within the US government, a specific chain of memoranda and standards drives your post-quantum obligations. NSM-10, OMB M-23-02, NIST IR 8547, and CNSA 2.0. What each one requires.