Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) refers to encryption algorithms designed to resist attacks from quantum computers. Current asymmetric algorithms like RSA and ECC could be broken by sufficiently powerful quantum computers (Shor’s algorithm). NIST published the first PQC standards in 2024 (ML-KEM, ML-DSA, SLH-DSA). Even though practical quantum computers are still years away, “harvest now, decrypt later” is already a real threat: attackers record encrypted traffic today and plan to decrypt it in the future. You should include a PQC migration plan in your cryptography policy and prepare your cryptographic inventory for crypto-agility.