SecurityConference50min
Crypto Agility - Prepare for the unexpected!
Quantum computers threaten current public key cryptography, making future-proof security urgent. Migrating to new cryptographic standards is slow and complex, with more changes likely ahead. This talk explores cryptographic agility—how it can simplify these migrations—using real-world examples from the public sector.
Kristof VerslypeSmals
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Thursday, October 9, 11:50-12:40
Room 3
Public key cryptography is essential in our society. We use it constantly, for instance to secure digital communication. Powerful quantum computers could break this in the long term and are already a risk today. Someone who intercepts secure communication today may indeed be able to decipher it in the future with a powerful quantum computer.
We need to replace our cryptography. History has taught us that such a migration path is cumbersome and can take many years. Multiple new migrations may be ahead of us, not only due to the threat of cryptographically relevant quantum computers.
Cryptographic agility promises to drastically smoothen such migrations. But what does it mean in practice?
This talks dives into the topic, inspired by concrete cases from the public sector.
We need to replace our cryptography. History has taught us that such a migration path is cumbersome and can take many years. Multiple new migrations may be ahead of us, not only due to the threat of cryptographically relevant quantum computers.
Cryptographic agility promises to drastically smoothen such migrations. But what does it mean in practice?
This talks dives into the topic, inspired by concrete cases from the public sector.
Kristof Verslype
Kristof’s mission is to be a matchmaker between emerging technologies and academia on the one hand, and the public sector with its specific business needs on the other hand, for everything related to cryptography and privacy-preserving technologies.
He obtained a PhD in engineering sciences at the KU Leuven with research on protection of privacy with cryptographic zero-knowledge proofs. In this context, he won the best paper award at the International Conference on Security and Cryptography (SECRYPT).
In 2011, he joined the research department of Smals, a shared ICT services provider of the Belgian public sector. His current domains are privacy-enhancing technologies, post-quantum cryptography, crypto-agility and advanced identifier pseudonymisation. Kristof frequently gives talks about these topics and is author of several books about blockchain.
In 2024, he was nominated for the Privacy Professional Award by Belgium's Cyber Security Coalition. In 2025 the Blinded Pseudonymization Service he co-developed for Belgium’s eHealth-platform received the runner-up (2nd) Award issued by Cybersec Europe for Best Cybersecurity Innovation Europe.
He obtained a PhD in engineering sciences at the KU Leuven with research on protection of privacy with cryptographic zero-knowledge proofs. In this context, he won the best paper award at the International Conference on Security and Cryptography (SECRYPT).
In 2011, he joined the research department of Smals, a shared ICT services provider of the Belgian public sector. His current domains are privacy-enhancing technologies, post-quantum cryptography, crypto-agility and advanced identifier pseudonymisation. Kristof frequently gives talks about these topics and is author of several books about blockchain.
In 2024, he was nominated for the Privacy Professional Award by Belgium's Cyber Security Coalition. In 2025 the Blinded Pseudonymization Service he co-developed for Belgium’s eHealth-platform received the runner-up (2nd) Award issued by Cybersec Europe for Best Cybersecurity Innovation Europe.
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