Harvest now, decrypt later: the quantum threat that is already here
Harvest-now-decrypt-later (HNDL) is the reason post-quantum cryptography is urgent today, not in 2035. An adversary does not need a quantum computer right now — they only need to record your encrypted traffic now and store it. When a cryptographically-relevant quantum computer exists, they decrypt the archive retroactively.
Which data is already exposed
Any secret with a long confidentiality lifetime is at risk the moment it crosses a classical channel: health records, legal files, financial data, government communications, long-lived credentials, and intellectual property. If it must stay secret for 10–20 years, and it travels over RSA or elliptic-curve key exchange, assume it can be harvested today.
Why classical crypto fails
Shor’s algorithm, on a sufficiently large quantum computer, breaks RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography — the basis of almost all key exchange and signatures in use today. NIST has set a migration clock: classical algorithms deprecated after 2030 and disallowed after 2035. The recording, however, is happening now.
The practical fix
Migrate confidentiality to ML-KEM (CRYSTALS-Kyber, NIST FIPS 203) in hybrid mode (classical + post-quantum), so you are no weaker today and protected against quantum attacks. It is resistant to all known classical and quantum attacks per NIST — not a permanent guarantee, but the standard the world is adopting, usable today.
Try it yourself — live, free, verifiable in 30 seconds:
Add post-quantum crypto with the PQC API →