Beer-Talk in Zürich: Post-Quantum Cryptography in Practice

Quantum computers threaten much of the cryptography that secures our digital infrastructure. Progress in quantum hardware and recent advances in cryptanalysis have shifted the timeline for when cryptographically relevant quantum computers might arrive. The window for action is still open, but "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks make planning a migration to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) a priority today.

This talk explains what the threat actually looks like, when such machines might realistically become available, and how to prepare. It covers current recommendations (e.g., from NIST and BSI) and shows that PQC is no longer a future technology: many frameworks and platforms already offer support, and it is increasingly used in practice.

Let’s dive into this over a beer on June 4, 2026.

This Beer Talk consists of a 45-minute presentation (in English) followed by light refreshments. Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.

Topic

Quantum computers threaten much of the cryptography that secures our digital infrastructure today. Once sufficiently capable quantum machines exist, large parts of that foundation will need to be replaced. The question is no longer whether to migrate, but when and how.

Progress in quantum hardware, combined with recent advances in cryptanalysis, has shifted the timeline closer than many expected even a few years ago. The window for action is still open, but "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks, where adversaries collect encrypted data today to decrypt it once quantum computers become available, mean that sensitive long-lived data is already at risk. Planning a migration to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) should be a priority today.

This talk is aimed at practitioners and provides a practical overview of the topic. A basic understanding of public-key and secret-key cryptography is helpful, but no prior knowledge of cryptography is required to follow along. The talk looks precisely at the threat that cryptographically relevant quantum computers pose, what they break and what they don't, and what current best estimates say about when such machines might realistically become available. From there, the focus shifts to practical preparation, including the current recommendations from bodies such as NIST in the United States and BSI in Germany.

PQC is not a future technology. The relevant algorithms have been standardized, and many widely used frameworks and platforms already support them. The talk shows concrete examples and how to start using PQC today.

Attendees will leave with a clear picture of the threats, a realistic timeline for migration, and a practical sense of the first steps to take.

Speaker

Urs Müller is a senior IT Security Analyst at Compass Security AG with significant experience in analyzing the security of software systems, including web applications, external and internal networks, cloud configurations, Linux and Windows clients, and security concepts. He further teaches basic and advanced web application security classes to industry professionals, and has experience in teaching computer programming classes to ETH students and mathematics and physics to high school students. He holds a masters degree in computer science from ETH Zürich.

His main research interests lie in web security, system security, and cryptography with a particular focus on reversing, binary exploitation, and applied cryptography. He further enjoys experimenting with new technologies and programming languages.

Date / Venue

Thursday, June 4, 2026,

Compass Security Schweiz AG
Josefstrasse 53 (4th floor)
8005 Zürich

Program:

Join us from 5.30 p.m. for drinks and a relaxed start.
The talk (in English) kicks off at 6.00 p.m.
Afterwards, we'll wrap up with snacks and good conversation.

Registration

Come by, enjoy the talk and the free snack.

Participation is free but registration is required.
Spots are limited and will be allocated on first come, first serve basis.
Please register by Monday, June 1, 12 noon.

You will receive a confirmation email after signing up.

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