Crack

The mathematical problems we use to protect data are practically impossible for even the largest supercomputers to crack today. But when quantum computers become reliable and powerful enough, they will be able to break them in moments.

Although it is unclear when such computers will emerge, NIST has been running a project since 2012 to standardize a new generation of algorithms that resist their attacks. Bernstein, who coined the term post-quantum cryptography in 2003 to refer to these kinds of algorithms, says the NSA is actively engaged inputting secret weaknesses into new encryption standards that will allow them to be more easily cracked with the right knowledge. NIST’s standards are used globally, so flaws could have a large impact.
–New Scientist