Pinaki Chanda | Director of Software Engineering
MaxLinear

Future of Memory and Storage - Day 3 @ 10:20

Post-Quantum Firmware Security: Performance Benchmarks and Hybrid CNSA Co-Deployment

The transition to post quantum cryptography (PQC) is critical for securing firmware in memory and storage systems, as future quantum computers threaten classical public key algorithms. In response, NIST has released its PQC standards and published a multi-year migration timeline to guide the transition away from quantum vulnerable cryptography. In parallel, the NSA’s CNSA 2.0 suite mandates quantum resistant algorithms and recommends the immediate adoption of PQC mechanisms for software and firmware signing.

This talk presents a performance driven evaluation of PQC for storage systems by benchmarking CNSA 1.0 and CNSA 2.0 firmware image encryption and authentication algorithms on embedded CPUs. Benchmark results highlight key metrics such as signature verification latency and AES 256 firmware decryption performance. The talk also introduces a hybrid deployment model in which CNSA 1.0 and CNSA 2.0 algorithms operate in parallel, providing a built in fallback to classical CNSA 1.0 methods if a newly standardized PQC algorithm is later found to be vulnerable. This approach enables long term resilience as systems transition toward fully quantum resistant security.

Pinaki Chanda, Director of Software Engineering, MaxLinear

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Pinaki Chanda / Post-Quantum Firmware Security: Performance Benchmarks and Hybrid CNSA Co-Deployment

Pinaki Chanda, Director of Software Engineering,
MaxLinear

Pinaki Chanda is an experienced engineering leader with extensive experience in developing advanced technology solutions, particularly in data compression, storage systems, and video transport. He is currently serving as Senior Director of Software Engineering at MaxLinear, where he leads the...

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