PQC for Hackers

Abstract

Secure communications are not a luxury - they are a foundational requirement for human dignity in the digital age. Our most meaningful conversations, transactions, and decisions demand end-to-end encryption, strong authentication, and verifiable integrity. The notion that "only those with something to hide need strong crypto" is not merely lazy; it is dangerously shortsighted. Privacy is the space where autonomy, intimacy, and authentic human experience thrive. When that space is violated, the damage ripples far beyond the individual.

For decades, classical public-key cryptography has quietly protected everything from online banking to private messaging. That era is ending. Quantum computers are advancing rapidly, and the break of today's asymmetric algorithms - often called the Quantum Apocalypse - is no longer a question of if, but when. The window to prepare is narrowing. Migration must begin now.

In this workshop, you'll implement PQC algorithms from the NSA's CNSA Suite 2.0. You'll use C++, OpenSSL and Linux to demonstrate the secure usage of ML-KEM, ML-DSA, AES-256, and SHA-512. You'll leave with clean, reusable code, deep implementation insight, and the practical skills needed to integrate PQC into real-world systems.

We might not all have something to hide, but we all have something worth protecting.

Prerequisites

Please come prepared to maximize your workshop time. Your machine must meet the following requirements:

Host System Hardware

• A laptop with a multi-core 64-bit processor (4+ cores recommended).
• 8 GB of RAM (minimum).
• At least 20 GB of free disk space.

Host System Software

• VirtualBox (latest version) installed and running. Administrator rights are required to install and run VirtualBox.
• VirtualBox Extension Pack (latest version). The extension pack is an optional download, but is worth installing since it enables seamless mode, which makes the Virtual Machine experience more user-friendly.

Setup Instructions

Step 1: Download Required Files

All workshop downloads will be available starting Monday, August 3rd. To save time, you must download the Virtual Machine (VM) before arriving. The workshop files and presentation slides are optional downloads for your reference, as the necessary files are already inside the VM.

Step 2: Prepare the Virtual Machine

• Extract the pqc_vm.zip archive. This will produce a file named pqc.ova.
• The OVA is a pre-configured Debian 13.6.0 VM with an XFCE desktop environment and all necessary development tools (build-essential, gdb, cmake, ninja-build, VS Code, etc.).

Step 3: Import the VM into VirtualBox

• Open VirtualBox.
• Go to File > Import Appliance... in the menu.
• Select the pqc.ova file you extracted.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to import the appliance. You can leave the default settings.
• Start the VM to ensure it boots correctly.

Step 4: Final Prep

• The most important step is to have the Virtual Machine downloaded and imported into VirtualBox before arriving at the workshop.
• All necessary workshop files are pre-loaded into the VM for your convenience. The other downloads are optional.
• The VM username/password and the workshop wireless network details will be provided at the beginning of our session.