New Era of Cybersecurity in Slovakia Based on NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Standards

22. apríla 2025

Post-quantum cryptography refers to cryptographic algorithms designed to protect against attacks from quantum computers.

Four standards (FIPS 203, 204, 205, and 206), developed by NIST (National Institute for Standards and Technology USA), have been completed for post-quantum cryptography: post-quantum cryptography refers to cryptographic algorithms designed to protect against attacks from quantum computers. As Slovakia prepares for quantum threats, these standards will be key in the country's cybersecurity ecosystem.

"A quantum revolution is underway, and we must be prepared to adapt critical infrastructure in Slovakia as soon as possible," says Matej Michalko, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Slovak Critical Infrastructure Association. "The immediate deployment of NIST post-quantum cryptographic standards is a strategic matter to support our national security and economic stability." In a recommendation dated April 11, 2024, the European Commission calls on EU member states to implement a common transition plan for post-quantum cryptography. Although no deadlines have been confirmed, Slovakia has already responded to challenges in quantum technology research and development through academic institutions and public-private partnerships.

The "harvest now, decrypt later" threat is very real – adversaries may want to accumulate today's encrypted data and decrypt it when quantum computers are capable of doing so. In Slovakia, financial institutions, telecommunications providers, and government agencies should prioritize transitioning to quantum-resistant encryption methods to protect sensitive information and critical systems from quantum threats.

The state is particularly concerned about long-term sensitive data, from personal identification information to state secrets and financial records. This will require significant investments in new infrastructure, training, and compliance frameworks.

Author: Matej Michalko, founder and CEO of Decent Cybersecurity, Chairman of the supervisory board of the Slovak Critical Infrastructure Association

Source: Michalko, Matej. “Nová éra kybernetickej bezpečnosti na Slovensku založená na štandardoch postkvantovej kryptografie NIST.” DefenceNews.sk, April 22, 2025. https://www.defencenews.sk/kyberbezpecnost/clanok/749300-nova-era-kybernetickej-bezpecnosti-na-slovensku-zalozena-na-standardoch-postkvantovej-kryptografie-nist/?utm_source=defencenews&utm_medium=hp-box&utm_campaign=shp_3clanok_box.



Accessed 22nd April 2025.

Industry as a Critical Sector: The Final Article in AKI SR’s Series on Critical Sectors

3. augusta 2026
Industry is one of the sectors where the importance of critical infrastructure becomes very tangible. Not in abstract definitions, but in the state’s ability to maintain the availability of medicines, the continuity of metallurgical production, supplies of key chemical substances, functioning supply chains, and technological self-sufficiency at times when standard market mechanisms may not be enough. 

Priemysel ako kritický sektor: posledný článok zo série AKI SR o kritických sektoroch

3. augusta 2026
Priemysel patrí medzi sektory, pri ktorých sa význam kritickej infraštruktúry ukazuje veľmi konkrétne. Nie v abstraktných definíciách, ale v schopnosti štátu udržať dostupnosť liekov, kontinuitu hutníckej výroby, dodávky kľúčových chemických látok, funkčné dodávateľské reťazce a technologickú sebestačnosť v časoch, keď štandardné trhové mechanizmy nemusia stačiť. 

We Talk a Lot About Technology in Critical Infrastructure. We Talk Too Little About People.

31. júla 2026
A commentary by the President of the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic 

O technológiách v kritickej infraštruktúre hovoríme veľa. O ľuďoch málo.

31. júla 2026
Komentár prezidenta Asociácie kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky

10th Critical Infrastructure Sector: Production, Processing and Distribution of Food

28. júla 2026
In the morning, we open the refrigerator. In a shop, we reach for bread, milk, meat, pasta or fruit. In a cafeteria, a child receives lunch; a hospital patient receives a special diet; and a senior in a social services facility receives a warm meal. Most of us do not think about it. Food simply “is”.

10. sektor kritickej infraštruktúry: Výroba, spracovanie a distribúcia potravín

28. júla 2026
Ráno otvoríme chladničku. V obchode siahneme po pečive, mlieku, mäse, cestovinách alebo ovocí. V jedálni dostane obed dieťa, pacient v nemocnici diétnu stravu a senior v zariadení sociálnych služieb teplé jedlo. Väčšina z nás nad tým nepremýšľa. Potraviny jednoducho „sú“.

Electricity Demand Management: The Unassuming Pillar Behind a Reliable Power Supply

23. júla 2026
In this series, the Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic (AKI SR) is gradually introducing the individual essential services listed in Annex No. 1 of the Critical Infrastructure Act – in other words, those activities without which the economic and social life of the state would quite literally grind to a halt. After the previous instalments, this time we turn to a service that most people have never heard named, yet rely on every second of the day: electricity demand management.

Riadenie odberu elektriny: nenápadný pilier, na ktorom stojí spoľahlivá dodávka elektriny

23. júla 2026
Asociácia kritickej infraštruktúry SR v tejto sérii postupne predstavuje jednotlivé základné služby uvedené v prílohe č. 1 zákona o kritickej infraštruktúre – teda tie činnosti, bez ktorých by sa hospodársky a spoločenský život štátu doslova zastavil. Po predchádzajúcich dieloch sa tentoraz pozrieme na službu, ktorú väčšina ľudí nikdy nepočula pomenovať, ale spolieha sa na ňu každú sekundu dňa: riadenie odberu elektriny. 

AKI SR Creates Space for Cooperation Between the Ministry of Defence of the Slovak Republic and Its Member Company Foss Fibre Optics

20. júla 2026
The Critical Infrastructure Association of the Slovak Republic (AKI SR) continues to connect state institutions with domestic technology companies that develop innovative solutions contributing to greater resilience of critical infrastructure. One such example is AKI SR member company Foss Fibre Optics, s.r.o., a Slovak manufacturer of cutting-edge optical technologies used to protect strategic facilities, secure critical communications networks, and monitor infrastructure.

AKI SR vytvorila priestor pre spoluprácu medzi Ministerstvom obrany SR a svojou členskou spoločnosťou Foss Fibre Optics

20. júla 2026
Asociácia kritickej infraštruktúry Slovenskej republiky pokračuje v prepájaní štátnych inštitúcií s domácimi technologickými spoločnosťami, ktoré vyvíjajú inovatívne riešenia prispievajúce k zvyšovaniu odolnosti kritickej infraštruktúry. Jedným z príkladov je členská spoločnosť AKI SR – Foss Fibre Optics, s.r.o, slovenský výrobca špičkových optických technológií, ktorých využitie nachádza uplatnenie pri ochrane strategických objektov, zabezpečení kritických komunikačných sietí a monitorovaní infraštruktúry.