United States of America: National Institute of Standards and Technology approved Hamming Quasi-Cyclic algorithm as part of updated post-quantum encryption standards

On 11 March 2025, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) selected the Hamming Quasi-Cyclic (HQC) algorithm as a backup post-quantum encryption standard to complement the primary Module-Lattice-Based Key Encapsulation Mechanism for protection against future quantum computing threats. HQC, based on error-correcting codes rather than lattices, applies to organisations safeguarding sensitive data across sectors such as finance, healthcare, and national security.