Group picture showing the members of the Quantum Safe Cryptography research group Photo credits: Gregor Langner

The Quantum Safe Cryptography team at AIT Austrian Institute of Technology conducts research on provably secure asymmetric cryptography with the goal of ensuring long-term security in the presence of quantum adversaries. The group is a subdivision of AIT’s competence unit on Cyber Security and Communication System within the Center for Digital Safety & Security.

Core research topics include:

  • Post-quantum cryptography, with major contributions to the NIST PQC standardization process, including PICNIC and FAEST
  • Privacy-enhancing technologies for secure and data-minimising systems, including secure multi-party computation, zero-knowledge proofs of knowledge, or attribute-based credentials
  • Hybrid cryptographic architectures and protocols combining post-quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution
  • Key management systems for QKD, developed by our engineering team, to support practical deployment of quantum key distribution systems. More information can be found here.

Besides research, the group is actively engaged in international standardization, with expert roles in ETSI STF 529 and ETSI STF 684 and (co-)editorship of several ISO/IEC standards, including ISO/IEC 4922-1/2 on secure multi-party computation or ISO/IEC 24843 on attribute-based credentials.