Post-Quantum Cryptography Recommendations for TLS-based Applications

Introduction The visible face of the Internet predominantly comprises services operating on a client-server architecture, where a client communicates with an application service. When using protocols such as TLS 1.3 , DTLS 1.3 , or protocols built on these foundations (e.g., QUIC ), clients and servers perform ephemeral public-key exchanges, such as Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH), to derive a shared secret that ensures forward secrecy. Additionally, they validate each other's identities through X.509 certificates, establishing secure communication. The emergence of a Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computer (CRQC) would render current public-key algorithms insecure and obsolete. This is because the mathematical assumptions underpinning these algorithms, which currently offer high levels of security, would no longer hold in the presence of a CRQC. Consequently, there is an urgent need to update protocols and infrastructure with post-quantum cryptographic (PQC) algorithms. These algorithms are designed to remain secure against both CRQCs and classical computers. The traditional cryptographic primitives requiring replacement are discussed in , and the NIST PQC Standardization process has standardized algorithms such as ML-KEM, SLH-DSA, and ML-DSA for deployment in protocols. Historically, the industry has successfully transitioned between cryptographic protocols, such as upgrading TLS versions and deprecating older ones (e.g., SSLv2), and shifting from RSA to Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), which improved security and reduced key sizes. However, the transition to PQC presents unique challenges, primarily due to the following:

Algorithm Maturity: While NIST has finalized a set of PQC algorithms, ensuring the correctness and security of implementations remains critical. Even the most secure algorithm is vulnerable if implementation flaws introduce security risks. Updates to protocol stacks and cryptographic libraries to support PQC algorithms introduces a substantial amount of new code.
Key and Signature Sizes: Many PQC algorithms require significantly larger key and signature sizes, which can inflate handshake packet sizes and impact network performance. For example, ML-KEM public keys are substantially larger than ECDH keys (see Table 5 in ). Similarly, public keys for SLH-DSA and ML-DSA are much larger than those for P256 (see Table 6 in ). Signature sizes for algorithms like SLH-DSA and ML-DSA are also considerably larger compared to traditional options like Ed25519 or ECDSA-P256, posing challenges for constrained environments (e.g., IoT) and increasing handshake times in high-latency or lossy networks.
Performance Trade-Offs: While some PQC algorithms exhibit slower operations compared to traditional algorithms, others provide specific advantages. For instance, ML-KEM requires less CPU than X25519, and ML-DSA offers faster signature verification times compared to Ed25519, although its signature generation process is slower.

Any application transmitting messages over untrusted networks is potentially vulnerable to active or passive attacks by adversaries, including those equipped with CRQCs. The degree of vulnerability varies depending on the application, the underlying systems, the value of the data being transmitted, and the attractiveness of attacking a particular individual, device, or flow. This document outlines quantum-ready usage profiles for applications designed to protect against passive and on-path attacks leveraging CRQCs. It also discusses how TLS client and server implementations, together with essential supporting protocols (e.g., DNS), can address these challenges using various techniques detailed in subsequent sections.

Conventions and Definitions The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here. This document adopts terminology defined in . For the purposes of this document, it is useful to categorize cryptographic algorithms into three distinct classes:

Traditional Algorithm: An asymmetric cryptographic algorithm based on integer factorization, finite field discrete logarithms, or elliptic curve discrete logarithms. In the context of TLS, an example of a traditional key exchange algorithm is Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH), which is almost exclusively used in its ephemeral mode, referred to as Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman Ephemeral (ECDHE).
Post-Quantum Algorithm: An asymmetric cryptographic algorithm designed to be secure against attacks from both quantum and classical computers. An example of a post-quantum key exchange algorithm is the Module-Lattice Key Encapsulation Mechanism (ML-KEM). Such algorithms rely on mathematical problems (e.g., lattices) that are believed to be hard for both classical and CRQCs to solve efficiently.
Hybrid Algorithm: We distinguish between key exchanges and signature algorithms:
- Hybrid Key Exchange: A key exchange mechanism that combines two component algorithms - one traditional algorithm and one post-quantum algorithm. The resulting shared secret remains secure as long as at least one of the component key exchange algorithms remains unbroken.
- PQ/T Hybrid Digital Signature: A multi-algorithm digital signature scheme composed of two or more component signature algorithms, where at least one is a post-quantum algorithm and at least one is a traditional algorithm.

Digital signature algorithms play a critical role in X.509 certificates, Certificate Transparency Signed Certificate Timestamps, Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP) statements, remote attestation evidence, and any other mechanism that contributes signatures during a TLS handshake or in context of a secure communication establishment. This document adopts terminology from . As described there, terms such as "post-quantum," "quantum ready," "quantum resistant," and "quantum secure" are often used interchangeably to describe algorithms intended to resist attacks by CRQCs.

Timeline for Transition The timeline and driving motivations for transitioning to quantum-ready cryptography differ between data confidentiality and data authentication (e.g., signatures). The risk of "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" (HNDL) attacks demands immediate action to protect data confidentiality (see Section 7 of ), while the threat to authentication systems, although less urgent, requires forward-thinking planning to mitigate future risks. Encrypted payloads transmitted using Transport Layer Security (TLS) are vulnerable to decryption if an attacker equipped with a CRQC gains access to the traditional asymmetric public keys used in the TLS key exchange along with the transmitted ciphertext. TLS implementations typically use Diffie-Hellman-based key exchange schemes. If an attacker obtains a complete set of encrypted payloads, including the TLS setup, they could theoretically use a CRQC to derive the private key and decrypt the data. The primary concern for data confidentiality is the "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" scenario, where a malicious actor with sufficient resources stores encrypted data today to decrypt it in the future, once a CRQC becomes available. This means that even data encrypted today is at risk unless quantum-safe strategies are implemented. The window of vulnerability - the effective security lifetime of the encrypted data - can range from seconds to decades, depending on the sensitivity of the data and how long it remains valuable. This highlights the immediate need to adopt quantum-resistant cryptographic measures to ensure long-term confidentiality. For data authentication, the concern shifts to potential on-path attackers equipped with CRQCs capable of breaking certificate-based authentication mechanisms that rely on traditional algorithms. Such attackers could impersonate legitimate entities, tricking victims into connecting to the attacker's device instead of the intended target, resulting in impersonation attacks. While this is not as immediate a threat as "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" attacks, it remains a significant risk that must be addressed proactively. In client/server certificate-based authentication, the security window between the generation of the signature in the CertificateVerify message and its verification by the peer during the TLS handshake is typically short. However, the security lifetime of digital signatures on X.509 certificates, including those issued by root Certification Authorities (CAs), warrants closer scrutiny. Root CA certificates can have validity periods of 20 years or more, while root Certificate Revocation Lists (CRLs) often remain valid for a year or longer. Delegated credentials, such as CRL Signing Certificates or OCSP response signing certificates, generally have shorter lifetimes but still present a potential vulnerability window. While data confidentiality faces the immediate and pressing threat of "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" attacks, requiring urgent quantum-safe adoption, data authentication poses a longer-term risk that still necessitates careful planning. Both scenarios underscore the importance of transitioning to quantum-resistant cryptographic systems to safeguard data and authentication mechanisms in a post-quantum era.

Data Confidentiality As explained in the previous section, data that is only temporarily in transit may nevertheless require protection for many years. However, uncertainties regarding the security of PQC algorithm implementations, evolving regulatory requirements, and the ongoing development of cryptanalysis justify a transitional approach where well-established traditional algorithms are used alongside new PQC primitives. Applications utilizing (D)TLS that are vulnerable to "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" attacks MUST transition to (D)TLS 1.3 and adopt one of the following strategies:

Hybrid Key Exchange: Hybrid key exchange combines traditional and PQC key exchange algorithms, offering resilience even if one algorithm is compromised. As defined in , this approach ensures robust security during the migration to PQC. For TLS 1.3, hybrid post-quantum key exchange groups are introduced in :
1. X25519MLKEM768: Combines the classical X25519 key exchange with the ML-KEM-768 post-quantum Key Encapsulation Mechanism.
2. SecP256r1MLKEM768: Combines the classical SecP256r1 key exchange with the ML-KEM-768 post-quantum Key Encapsulation Mechanism.
3. SecP384r1MLKEM1024: Combines the classical SecP384r1 key exchange with the ML-KEM-1024 post-quantum Key Encapsulation Mechanism.
Pure Post-Quantum Key Exchange: For deployments that require exclusively post-quantum key exchange, defines the following standalone NamedGroups for post-quantum key agreement in TLS 1.3: ML-KEM-512, ML-KEM-768, and ML-KEM-1024.

Hybrid Key Exchange is generally preferred over pure PQC key exchange because it provides defense-in-depth by combining the strengths of both classical and PQC algorithms. This ensures continued security, even if one algorithm is compromised during the transitional period. However, Pure PQC Key Exchange may be required for specific deployments with regulatory or compliance mandates that necessitate the exclusive use of post-quantum cryptography. Examples include sectors governed by stringent cryptographic standards. In practice, applications that rely on TLS typically depend on the underlying TLS library. Upgrading to a library version that supports TLS 1.3 and PQC key exchange extensions is a necessary first step, but it may not be sufficient, as it is not known whether PQC groups are enabled by default across different implementations. Applications that configure protocol versions or cipher suites explicitly MUST update these settings to ensure that hybrid or pure PQC key exchange groups are enabled. Applications that rely on library defaults SHOULD review the library documentation or perform interoperability testing to confirm that PQC groups are negotiated as intended. Operators should also consider potential interoperability issues with legacy peers that do not yet support TLS 1.3 and PQC key exchange extensions.

Optimizing ClientHello for Hybrid Key Exchange in TLS Handshake The client initiates the TLS handshake by sending supported key agreement methods in the "supported_groups" extension and one or more corresponding key shares in the "key_share" extension. One of the important challenges during the migration to PQC is that the client may not know whether the server supports hybrid key exchange. To address this uncertainty, the client can adopt one of the following three strategies:

Send Both Traditional and Hybrid Key Exchange Algorithms: In the initial ClientHello message, the client can include both traditional and hybrid key exchange algorithm key shares. This eliminates the need for multiple round trips but comes with its own trade-offs.
- Advantage: Reduces latency since the server can immediately select an appropriate key exchange method.
- Challenges:
  - The size of the hybrid key exchange algorithm key share may exceed the Maximum Transmission Unit (MTU), potentially causing the ClientHello message to be fragmented across multiple packets. In TLS, this results in multiple TCP segments. In DTLS, handshake messages are explicitly fragmented at the record layer as specified in , with each fragment sent in its own UDP datagram. In both cases, larger ClientHello messages increase latency and the risk of handshake delay, especially in lossy networks.
  - Middleboxes that do not handle fragmented ClientHello messages properly may drop them, as this behavior is uncommon. More generally, middleboxes may also mishandle fragmented IP/UDP packets, which makes this issue particularly significant for DTLS deployments.
  - The server's ServerHello and associated traditional public key and PQC ciphertext may also exceed the MTU, leading to fragmentation in both TLS and DTLS, further compounding the risk of delays due to packet loss and retransmissions.
  - Additionally, this approach requires more computational resources on the client and increases handshake traffic.
Indicate Support for Hybrid Key Exchange: Alternatively, the client may initially indicate support for hybrid key exchange and send a traditional key exchange algorithm key share in the first ClientHello message. If the server supports hybrid key exchange, it will use the HelloRetryRequest to request a hybrid key exchange algorithm key share from the client. The client can then send the hybrid key exchange algorithm key share in the second ClientHello message. However, this approach has a disadvantage in that the roundtrip would introduce additional delay compared to the previous technique of sending both traditional and hybrid key exchange algorithm key shares to the server in the initial ClientHello message.
Use Server Key Share Preferences Communicated via DNS: defines a mechanism where servers communicate their key share preferences through DNS responses. TLS clients can use this information to tailor their initial ClientHello message, reducing the need for additional round trips. By leveraging these DNS-based hints, the client can optimize the handshake process and avoid unnecessary delays.

Clients MAY also use information from completed handshakes to cache the server's key exchange algorithm preferences, as described in Section 4.2.7 of . To minimize the risk of the ClientHello message being split across multiple packets, clients should avoid duplicating PQC KEM public key shares. Strategies for preventing duplication are outlined in Section 4 of . By carefully managing key shares, the client can reduce the size of the ClientHello message and improve compatibility with network infrastructure.

Use of External PSK with Traditional Key Exchange for Data Confidentiality TLS 1.3 provides an alternative approach for ensuring data confidentiality by combining an external pre-shared key (PSK) with a traditional key exchange mechanism, such as ECDHE, using the "psk_dhe_ke" PSK key exchange mode. Guidance for external PSK usage in TLS is provided in . The external PSK is incorporated into the TLS 1.3 key schedule, where it is mixed with the (EC)DHE-derived secret to strengthen confidentiality. While using an external PSK in combination with (EC)DHE can enhance confidentiality, it has the following limitations:

Key Management Complexity: External PSKs require a key distribution system that ensures confidentiality of the exchanged secrets.
Limited Forward Secrecy: If an external PSK is static and reused across sessions, its compromise can retroactively expose past communications if the traditional key exchange is broken by a CRQC.
Scalability Challenges: Distributing unique PSKs for many clients may be challenging. While there are successfully large-scale deployments of PSK-based authentication systems, their management requires good operational security practices.
Impersonation Risk: Because PSKs are symmetric, any party in possession of the PSK can authenticate as either the client or the server. This differs from certificate-based authentication, where compromise of a private key only enables impersonation of the corresponding entity. Whether this is a problem depends on the specific deployment.
Quantum Resistance Dependence: While PSKs can provide additional secrecy against quantum threats, they must be generated using a cryptographically secure random number generator. If a weak PSK is used, it may not offer sufficient security against brute-force attacks.

Despite these limitations, external PSKs can serve as a complementary mechanism in PQC transition strategies, providing additional confidentiality protection when combined with traditional key exchange.

Authentication Although CRQCs could potentially decrypt past TLS sessions, client/server authentication based on certificates cannot be retroactively compromised. However, the multi-year process required to establish, certify, and embed new root CAs presents a significant challenge. If CRQCs emerge earlier than anticipated, responding promptly to secure authentication systems would be difficult. While the migration to PQ X.509 certificates allows for more time compared to key exchanges, delaying these preparations should be avoided.

Quantum Ready Authentication The quantum-ready authentication property becomes critical in scenarios where an on-path attacker uses network devices equipped with CRQCs to break traditional authentication protocols. For example, if an attacker determines the private key of a server certificate before its expiration, they could impersonate the server, causing users to believe their connections are legitimate. This impersonation leads to serious security threats, including unauthorized data disclosure, interception of communications, and overall system compromise. The quantum-ready authentication property ensures robust authentication through the use of either a pure post-quantum certificate or a PQ/T hybrid certificate:

Post-Quantum X.509 Certificates Post-quantum certificates contain only a PQC public key and are signed using a post-quantum algorithm. They are suitable for deployments capable of fully embracing post-quantum cryptography.

ML-DSA Certificates: Defined in , these use the Module-Lattice Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA). explains how ML-DSA is applied for authentication in TLS 1.3.
SLH-DSA Certificates: Defined in , these use the SLH-DSA algorithm. SLH-DSA is supported for use with TLS through registered SignatureScheme values in the IANA TLS Parameters registry. SLH-DSA produces significantly larger signatures than ML-DSA, which increases TLS handshake sizes, but it offers strong security properties and flexibility across multiple parameter variants. Its performance impact is typically negligible for long-lived TLS connections and large data transfers, particularly in low-loss network environments. An advantage of SLH-DSA is that it is used as a pure post-quantum signature algorithm and does not require a PQ/T hybrid composite.

Hybrid (Composite) X.509 Certificates A composite certificate contains both a traditional public key algorithm (e.g., ECDSA) and a post-quantum algorithm (e.g., ML-DSA) within a single X.509 certificate. This design enables both algorithms to be used in parallel: the traditional component preserves a traditional security assumption during the transition and supports compatibility with existing infrastructure, while the post-quantum component introduces resistance against future quantum attacks. Composite certificates are defined in . These combine post-quantum algorithms like ML-DSA with traditional algorithms such as RSA-PKCS#1v1.5, RSA-PSS, ECDSA, Ed25519, or Ed448, to provide additional protection against vulnerabilities or implementation bugs in a single algorithm. specifies how composite signatures, including ML-DSA, are used for TLS 1.3 authentication.

Using Certificates with an External Pre-Shared Key allows certificate-based authentication to be combined with a strong external PSK. The external PSK contributes to the TLS key schedule, providing confidentiality protection against HNDL attacks by a CRQC, provided that the PSK is generated and distributed securely. As described in , PSK-based authentication occurs as a side effect of the key exchange through proof of possession of the PSK. Consequently, even if a CRQC were able to recover the private key used for certificate-based authentication, it could not successfully complete the handshake without also possessing the external PSK. However, the external PSK does not make the certificate infrastructure itself quantum-resistant, since the certificates and their signatures continue to rely on traditional public-key algorithms.

Trust Anchors for PQC Certificate Validation Deploying a PQC or PQ/T hybrid end-entity certificate is not sufficient by itself to provide quantum-ready authentication. The certificate path has to validate to a trust anchor that is appropriate for the intended security property. In TLS, the trust anchor is local client configuration, typically provisioned through an operating system, browser, application, device-management system, or private PKI trust store. It is not established by the server during the TLS handshake. For a certification path to provide post-quantum authentication, each validation-critical signature from the end-entity certificate up to the configured trust anchor needs to be protected by a PQC or PQ/T hybrid signature scheme. A PQC end-entity certificate issued under a purely traditional CA hierarchy does not by itself provide post-quantum authentication, because an attacker equipped with a CRQC could potentially forge signatures made with traditional CA keys. During migration, deployments may use separate PQC trust anchors, composite trust anchors, or parallel traditional and PQC certification paths. Clients need local policy to determine which trust anchors are acceptable for a given application and whether a traditional-only path is still permitted as fallback. Such fallback policies should be explicit, because accepting a traditional-only certification path can silently downgrade the authentication security property. Trust-anchor provisioning and update mechanisms are therefore a central part of PQC authentication migration. Long-lived or difficult-to-update systems, such as embedded devices and industrial deployments, may need PQC or hybrid trust anchors provisioned early, potentially at manufacture, because later field updates may be infeasible. The trust anchor must be in place before the PQC end-entity certificates that chain to it come into use.

Negotiation of Authentication Schemes During the transition, clients and servers may be configured to support multiple authentication schemes (e.g., traditional, composite, and PQC-only). Clients indicate supported signature schemes in the "signature_algorithms" extension , listed in decreasing order of preference. For migration, clients SHOULD give higher precedence to composite and PQC-only schemes over traditional ones. Within that set, clients may prefer PQC-only to satisfy regulatory or compliance requirements, or prefer composite if they want defense-in-depth security.

Transition Considerations Determining whether and when to adopt PQC certificates or PQ/T hybrid schemes depends on several factors, including:

Frequency and duration of system upgrades
The expected timeline for CRQC availability
Operational flexibility to enable or disable algorithms

Deployments with limited flexibility benefit significantly from hybrid signatures, which combine traditional algorithms with PQC algorithms. This approach mitigates the risks associated with delays in transitioning to PQC and provides an immediate safeguard against zero-day vulnerabilities. Composite certificates enhance resilience during the adoption of PQC by:

Providing defense-in-depth: they maintain security as long as at least one component algorithm remains secure.
Reducing exposure to unforeseen vulnerabilities: including potential weaknesses in PQC algorithms or their implementations.

However, composite certificates come with long-term implications. Once the traditional algorithm is no longer considered secure due to the availability of CRQCs, it will have to be eventually deprecated. To complete the transition to a fully quantum-resistant authentication model, it will be necessary to provision a new root CA certificate, that uses only a PQC public key and PQC signature algorithm. This new root CA would issue a hierarchy of intermediate certificates, each also signed using PQC algorithms, and ultimately issue end-entity certificates that contain only PQC public keys and are signed with PQC algorithms. This ensures that the entire certification path from the root of trust to the end entity is cryptographically resistant to quantum attacks and does not depend on any traditional algorithms. Alternatively, a deployment may choose to continue using the same hybrid certificate even after the traditional algorithm has been broken by the advent of a CRQC. While this may simplify operations by avoiding immediate re-provisioning of trust anchors, it affects certain security properties of the composite signature. As discussed in the security considerations of , TLS treats composite ML-DSA as an opaque signature algorithm, and the detailed cryptographic properties of the construction are defined in the composite signature specification. If one component becomes forgeable, the composite construction no longer achieves Strong Unforgeability under Chosen-Message Attack (SUF-CMA). However, SUF-CMA is not required for TLS authentication. For TLS, the relevant requirement is Existential Unforgeability under Chosen-Message Attack (EUF-CMA): an attacker must not be able to produce a valid signature over a TLS handshake transcript. In the composite construction, verification succeeds only if all component signatures verify. Therefore, even if a CRQC can forge the traditional component, an attacker must still forge the PQC component to produce a valid composite signature over a new transcript. As long as the PQC component remains EUF-CMA secure, impersonation in TLS remains infeasible. As a result, the continued use of composite certificates after the traditional algorithm is broken can provide operational flexibility. Even when the arrival of CRQCs is considered imminent and the timeline is known with high confidence, this situation does not necessarily require an emergency migration. Instead, it allows organizations a limited but sufficient transition window to execute a phased and carefully planned migration to certificates that rely exclusively on PQC.

Deployment Realities Centralized networks, which are characterized by strong administrative control, internal CAs, and close relationships with vendors, are generally well-positioned to manage the overhead of larger PQC keys and signatures. Such networks can adopt PQC signature algorithms earlier due to their ability to coordinate and deploy changes effectively. For example, telecom networks fit this model and may be able to transition more quickly than more distributed environments. Conversely, the Web PKI ecosystem may delay adoption until more efficient and compact PQC signature algorithms, such as MAYO, UOV, HAWK, or SQISign, become available. This is due to the broader, more decentralized nature of the Web PKI ecosystem, which makes coordination and implementation more challenging.

Optimizing PQC Certificate Exchange in TLS To address the challenge of large PQ or PQ/T hybrid certificate chains during the TLS handshake, the following mechanisms can help optimize the size of the exchanged certificate data:

TLS Cached Information Extension (): This extension enables clients to indicate that they have cached certificate information from a prior connection. The server can then signal the client to reuse the cached data instead of retransmitting the full certificate chain. While this mechanism reduces bandwidth usage, it introduces potential privacy concerns: the client includes fingerprints of cached objects in the ClientHello, which are visible to eavesdroppers. These values can be used to correlate independent TLS sessions from the same client, potentially compromising anonymity. While this is not a concern for many industrial IoT scenarios, it may be unacceptable for smart home deployments.
TLS Certificate Compression (): This specification defines compression schemes to reduce the size of the server's certificate chain. While effective in many scenarios, its impact on PQ or PQ/T hybrid certificates is limited due to the larger sizes of public keys and signatures in PQC. These high-entropy fields, inherent to PQC algorithms, constrain the overall compression effectiveness.
Abridged TLS Certificate (): This approach minimizes the size of the certificate chain by omitting intermediate certificates that are already known to the client. Instead, the server provides a compact representation of the certificate chain, and the client reconstructs the omitted certificates using a well-known common CA database. This mechanism significantly reduces bandwidth requirements while preserving compatibility with existing certificate validation processes. Additionally, it explores potential methods to compress the end-entity certificate itself, though this aspect remains under discussion within the TLS Working Group.
Trust Anchor Identifiers (): This extension allows a client to signal a compact list of locally configured trust anchors using unique trust anchor identifiers rather than Distinguished Names. This reduces the size of the "certificate_authorities" extension and helps the server select an appropriate certificate chain, especially when multiple hierarchies are used (e.g., separate traditional, composite, and PQC roots). Trust Anchor Identifiers are an optimization and chain-selection mechanism; they do not establish trust anchors, change the client's trust-store policy, or by themselves make a certification path quantum-ready. The client still has to validate the path presented by the server against its locally configured trust anchors and local policy.

These techniques aim to optimize the exchange of certificate chains during the TLS handshake, particularly in scenarios involving large PQC-related certificates, while balancing efficiency and compatibility.

Informing Users of PQC Security Compatibility Issues When the server detects that the client does not support PQC or hybrid key exchange, it may send an "insufficient_security" fatal alert to the client. The client, in turn, can notify service providers via device management systems or generate logs indicating that the server they are attempting to access requires a level of security that the client cannot provide due to the lack of PQC support. Additionally, the client may log this event for diagnostic purposes, security auditing, or reporting the issue to the application developers for further analysis. Conversely, if the client detects that the server does not support PQC or hybrid key exchange, it may present an alert or error message to the end-user or record the event in diagnostic logs. This message or record should explain that the server is incompatible with the PQC security features supported by the client. It is important to design such alerts thoughtfully to ensure they are clear and actionable, avoiding unnecessary warnings that could overwhelm or confuse users. In some environments, such as EAP deployments, supplicants may provide little or no diagnostic feedback to end-users beyond a generic failure message. In such cases, implementers would have to ensure sufficient diagnostic logging or telemetry is available for administrators to diagnose PQC-related interoperability problems. Notifications to end-users may also not be applicable or necessary in all scenarios, particularly in the context of machine-to-machine communication.

PQC Transition for Critical Application Protocols This document primarily focuses on the transition to PQC in applications that utilize TLS, while also covering other essential protocols, such as DNS, that play a critical role in supporting application functionality.

Encrypted DNS The privacy risks associated with exchanging DNS messages in clear text are detailed in . To mitigate these risks, Transport Layer Security (TLS) is employed to provide privacy for DNS communications. Encrypted DNS protocols, such as DNS-over-HTTPS (DoH) , DNS-over-TLS (DoT) , and DNS-over-QUIC (DoQ) , safeguard messages against eavesdropping and on-path tampering during transit. However, encrypted DNS messages transmitted using TLS may be vulnerable to HNDL attacks if an attacker gains access to the public keys used in the TLS key exchange. If an attacker records a complete set of encrypted DNS messages, including the TLS handshake details, they could store this data today and later use a CRQC to determine the ephemeral private key used in the key exchange, thereby decrypting the content. To address these vulnerabilities, encrypted DNS protocols MUST support the quantum-ready usage profile discussed in . It is important to note that the post-quantum security of DNSSEC , which provides authenticity for DNS records, is a distinct issue separate from the requirements for encrypted DNS transport protocols.

Hybrid public-key encryption (HPKE) and Encrypted Client Hello Hybrid Public-Key Encryption (HPKE) is a cryptographic scheme designed to enable public key encryption of arbitrary-sized plaintexts using a recipient's public key. HPKE employs a non-interactive ephemeral-static Diffie-Hellman key exchange to derive a shared secret. The rationale for standardizing a public key encryption scheme is detailed in the introduction of . HPKE can be extended to support both pure PQC KEMs and PQ/T hybrid KEMs, as described in . These extensions ensure compatibility with PQC, while allowing deployments to choose between pure PQC KEM or PQ/T KEM. Client TLS libraries and applications can utilize Encrypted Client Hello (ECH) to prevent passive observation of the intended server identity during the TLS handshake. However, this requires the concurrent deployment of Encrypted DNS protocols (e.g., DNS-over-TLS), as passive listeners could otherwise observe DNS queries or responses and deduce the same server identity that ECH is designed to protect. ECH employs HPKE for public key encryption. To safeguard against HNDL attacks, ECH deployments MUST incorporate support for either pure PQC KEM or PQ/T hybrid KEM. PQ/T hybrid KEM is generally preferred, as it provides defense-in-depth by combining the strengths of both classical and PQC algorithms, ensuring continued security even if one is later found to be weak. Pure PQ KEMs may be required for deployments subject to regulatory or compliance mandates that necessitate the exclusive use of PQC. In hybrid mode, the public_key field in the HpkeKeyConfig structure accommodates a concatenation of classical and PQC KEM public keys, whereas in pure PQ mode only the PQC KEM public key is included.

Operational Considerations The adoption of PQC in TLS-based applications will not be a simple binary decision but rather a gradual transition that demands a careful evaluation of trade-offs and deployment considerations. Application providers will need to assess algorithm selection, performance impact, interoperability, and security requirements tailored to their specific use cases. While the IETF defines cryptographic mechanisms for TLS and provides guidance on PQC transition strategies, it does not prescribe a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, this document outlines key considerations to assist stakeholders in adopting PQC in a way that aligns with their operational and security requirements.

Security Considerations The security considerations outlined in must be carefully evaluated and taken into account. Post-quantum algorithms selected for standardization are relatively new, and their implementations are still in the early stages of maturity. This makes them more susceptible to implementation bugs compared to the well-established and extensively tested cryptographic algorithms currently in use. Furthermore, certain deployments may need to continue using traditional algorithms to meet regulatory requirements, such as Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS), NIST Special Publications such as , or Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance. Hybrid key exchange provides a practical and flexible solution, offering protection against "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" attacks while ensuring resilience to potential catastrophic vulnerabilities in any single algorithm. This approach allows for a gradual transition to PQC, preserving the benefits of traditional cryptosystems without requiring their immediate replacement.

MITM Attacks with CRQC A MITM attack is possible if an adversary possesses a CRQC capable of breaking traditional public-key signatures. The attacker can generate a forged certificate and create a valid signature, enabling them to impersonate a TLS peer, whether a server or a client. This completely undermines the authentication guarantees of TLS when relying on traditional certificates. To mitigate such attacks, several steps need to be taken:

Revocation and Transition: Both clients and servers that use traditional certificates will have to revoke them and migrate to PQC authentication.
Client-Side Verification: Clients should avoid establishing TLS sessions with servers that do not support PQC authentication.
PKI Migration: Organizations should transition their PKI to post-quantum-safe certification authorities and discontinue issuing certificates based on traditional cryptographic methods.

Acknowledgements Thanks to Dan Wing for suggesting a broader scope for the document, and to Mike Ounsworth, Scott Fluhrer, Russ Housley, Loganaden Velvindron, Bas Westerbaan, Richard Sohn, Andrei Popov, Alan DeKok, and Thom Wiggers for their helpful feedback and reviews.