Post-quantum standards: exact status in October 2026
Research context
development · established · As of 2026-10-10
official report · 2026-08-05
- Study design
- Compare NIST's dated project status with final standards and the FIPS 203 correction notice.
- Reported result
- Three final 2024 standards; Falcon/HQC standardization remains ongoing in the inspected official page.
- Limitations
- A dated status report; not proof of unconditional security, procurement advice or prediction of completion dates.
NIST's project page, updated 5 August 2026 and checked 10 October, lists FIPS 203 ML-KEM, FIPS 204 ML-DSA and FIPS 205 SLH-DSA as final standards published 13 August 2024.
Key knowledge
NIST's project page, updated 5 August 2026 and checked 10 October, lists FIPS 203 ML-KEM, FIPS 204 ML-DSA and FIPS 205 SLH-DSA as final standards published 13 August 2024. It still describes Falcon and HQC as undergoing standardization. These are distinct statuses; selection or a draft is not a final standard. FIPS 203's publication page also carries a 17 November 2025 note on a future correction, so implementations must track current errata.
Conditions and scope
- This is a dated official-status inspection, not a promise about a future standard or a blanket system recommendation.
- Match exact standard revision, parameter set and published corrections before implementation.
Sources · 5
References
Sources retain their recorded scope. A source link alone does not establish verification of every statement.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)5 sources
- Post-Quantum Cryptography project status (updated 5 August 2026)NIST Computer Security Resource CenterReference guide
- FIPS 203 publication and potential updatesNIST Computer Security Resource CenterReference guide
- FIPS 203: Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation MechanismNational Institute of Standards and TechnologyReference guide · PDF
- FIPS 204: Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature StandardNational Institute of Standards and TechnologyReference guide · PDF
- FIPS 205: Stateless Hash-Based Digital Signature StandardNational Institute of Standards and TechnologyReference guide · PDF
Evidence and review
Author checked this English statement, displayed equation where present and stated hypotheses against these source locations: Final FIPS 203/204/205 and ongoing Falcon/HQC standardization; Final 13 August 2024; 17 November 2025 planning note identifies future correction; §§3.2–3.3 IND-CCA2/failure model and implementation constraints; §§7–8 parameters, Tables 1–3; §§3–5 ML-DSA/SIS-LWE assumptions, security categories, Table 2, hedged/deterministic and prehash/context distinctions; Construction, security discussion and Table 2 small/fast parameter tradeoffs. The check is bounded to the recorded claims; no complete proof reconstruction, software proof replay or universal literature completeness is claimed.
2026-10-10 · Author source-body/statement/equation/domain check, with graph associations scoped individually. Separate independent content/source/inventory review is required before branch closure.
Entry details
Permanent link to this entry ↗- Record identity
- research-info-pqc-standard-status
- Revision
- research.1
- Structured reference record
- Postgraduate & research reference