Crypto4A Advances Quantum-Safe Security with New Certification Submission
Ottawa, Friday, 21 March 2025.
Crypto4A Technologies marks a milestone by submitting the first quantum-safe Hardware Security Module for FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certification, ensuring protection against quantum computing threats.
Pioneering Quantum-Safe Security
On March 20, 2025, Crypto4A Technologies achieved a significant industry milestone by submitting its QASM hardware cryptographic core and v5.0 firmware for FIPS 140-3 Level 3 certification [1]. This submission represents the first Hardware Security Module (HSM) to incorporate all NIST-certified permutations and variants of Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) algorithms [1]. The timing is particularly relevant, as it follows NIST’s release of quantum-safe standards in 2024 [2].
Industry Recognition and Implementation
The significance of this development is underscored by widespread industry adoption, with Crypto4A’s quantum-safe HSMs already deployed by major chip manufacturers, cloud service providers, and government agencies worldwide [1]. Dr. Jim Goodman, CTO & Co-founder of Crypto4A, emphasizes the groundbreaking nature of this submission, noting it as an industry first for HSM technology [1]. The certification process has been validated by atsec Cryptographic Security Testing Laboratory, with Lab Manager Swapneela Unkule confirming Crypto4A as their first vendor to receive algorithm certificates for all available PQC algorithms [1].
Future-Proofing Cryptographic Infrastructure
The submission comes at a crucial time, following January’s Post-Quantum Cryptography Conference at the University of Texas, Austin, where industry leaders emphasized that delay poses the greatest risk in achieving quantum resilience [3]. Crypto4A’s forward-thinking approach includes a crypto-agile FPGA-based design that allows customers to access new quantum-safe algorithms through simple firmware updates as NIST introduces them [1]. This adaptability is crucial, as highlighted by Keyfactor’s Chief PKI Officer Tomas Gustavsson, who stresses the importance of HSMs in robust PKI and digital signature solutions during this critical transition period [1].
Industry Collaboration and Implementation Timeline
The certification submission builds upon nearly a decade of development, dating back to NIST’s initial call for PQC algorithm proposals in 2016 [1]. Tim Hollebeek, Vice President of Industry Standards at DigiCert, commends this milestone as demonstrating a forward-thinking approach to securing a post-quantum future [1]. The industry’s collaborative effort is further evidenced by recent initiatives such as Sectigo’s PQC Labs, which provides a sandbox environment for organizations to explore quantum-resistant cryptography implementations [4].