GAITHERSBURG, Md. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has chosen the first group of encryption tools that are designed to withstand the assault of a future quantum computer, which could potentially crack the security used to protect privacy in the digital systems we rely on every day — such as online banking and email software. The four selected encryption algorithms will become part of NIST’s post-quantum cryptographic standard, expected to be finalized in about two years.
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The announcement follows a six-year effort managed by NIST, which in 2016 called upon the world’s cryptographers to devise and then vet encryption methods that could resist an attack from a future quantum computer that is more powerful than the comparatively limited machines available today. The selection constitutes the beginning of the finale of the agency’s post-quantum cryptography standardization project.

Although NIST will not publish the new post-quantum cryptographic standard for use by commercial products until 2024, CISA and NIST strongly recommend organizations start preparing for the transition now by following the Post-Quantum Cryptography Roadmap, which includes: ... [see original article for a long list of useful hints about how to transition to the new encryption algorithms]

For additional guidance and background, CISA and NIST strongly encourage users and administrators to review:

• NIST press release, NIST Announces First Four Quantum-Resistant Cryptographic Algorithms.
  
• The NIST and Post-Quantum Cryptography, Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization, and Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography websites.

The Biden administration on Monday established a program that allows Americans to sponsor Ukrainian refugees and have them temporarily stay in the United States under a system known as humanitarian parole.

The program, called Uniting for Ukraine, is a piece of a larger initiative to temporarily resettle as many as 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, but migrants themselves cannot directly apply. Instead, a sponsor in the United States must apply on their behalf, and then migrants may complete the process after their sponsor is approved

Bombing of Azovstal can lead to environmental consequences — Mariupol City Council
19 May 2022 13:44

Leakage of hazardous substance could kill all flora and fauna in the Sea of ​​Azov

There was a threat of the complete extinction of the Sea of ​​​​Azov due to enemy bombing of the Azovstal metallurgical plant in the besieged Mariupol.

On Wednesday, May 18, the press service of the Mariupol City Council announced the impending threat of an eco-catastrophe in a telegram.

The city council said that the destruction of the steel plant could damage the technical structure, which stores tens of thousands of tons of hydrogen sulfide solution.

"The leakage of this liquid will completely kill the flora and fauna of the Sea of ​​Azov. Further, dangerous substances can enter the Black and Mediterranean Seas," they warned.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko emphasized that international experts and the United Nations must be immediately admitted to the facility to study the situation and prevent a "world-class environmental catastrophe."