Published: July 28, 2026
The encryption that protects today’s Internet has served us well for decades. Nearly every secure online interaction, from banking and healthcare to scientific collaboration and government communications, relies on cryptographic algorithms that allow information to be shared privately and verify that data has not been altered.
However, advances in quantum computing threaten to fundamentally change that landscape. Unlike today’s computers, quantum computers could eventually solve certain mathematical problems that current encryption algorithms depend on for security. As a result, widely used public-key cryptographic systems that protect internet traffic, software updates, digital signatures, and encrypted communications could become vulnerable to attack.
That future may still be years away, but organizations can’t afford to wait until quantum computers arrive. They need to understand where they stand today so they can begin planning for tomorrow. That’s exactly the challenge researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are tackling with the help of FABRIC.
Led by Anita Nikolich, Research Scientist and Director of Research and Technology Innovation in the School of Information Sciences and FABRIC co-PI, and Dr. Phuong Cao, , Cybersecurity Research Specialist at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), the team is developing PQSee, an open-source tool that helps organizations measure their readiness for post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
The work comes at a pivotal moment. At the end of June, the White House issued an Executive Order directing federal agencies to accelerate their transition to post-quantum cryptography, reinforcing the growing urgency for organizations to inventory and modernize the cryptographic systems that protect critical infrastructure.
Measuring a Moving Target
As quantum computing research accelerated, Cao recognized an important gap: while researchers were developing new quantum-resistant encryption standards, no one had a clear picture of how widely those standards were actually being deployed across real-world networks.
“We didn’t have any measurements. We didn’t know what was going on in the network, what fraction supported the new quantum-resistant protocols and what part did not.“
Initial measurements confirmed what many suspected—the adoption rate was still extremely low. But measuring post-quantum cryptography isn’t as simple as looking for a single protocol. “This is a fast-moving target,” Cao explained. “Even NIST updates the standards regularly.”
Rather than relying on assumptions or speculation, the team wanted to build a tool that could provide objective, real-world data.
Giving Decision Makers the Information They Need
The goal of PQSee isn’t simply to collect data—it’s to help organizations make informed decisions. By scanning network traffic, the tool inventories how much of an organization’s infrastructure has already transitioned to post-quantum cryptography and how much still relies on traditional encryption.
As Nikolich explained, understanding today’s environment is the first step toward planning tomorrow’s investments. “The first thing they have to do is understand where they are currently. They need to understand how big the problem is.”
For chief information officers, security teams, and research computing leaders, that visibility provides a roadmap for future upgrades.
The team hopes PQSee becomes a widely adopted, open-source resource that organizations can use over the next several years as post-quantum cryptography becomes standard practice.
Why FABRIC Matters
Building a tool like PQSee requires more than software—it requires visibility into diverse, real-world network environments. That’s where FABRIC became essential. Instead of validating the tool using traffic from a single campus network, the researchers were able to test it across dozens of geographically distributed sites connected through FABRIC.
Nikolich highlighted, “FABRIC enables us to see traffic across many different locations and many different types of traffic, especially because it’s experimental.”
That broader perspective allows the researchers to understand how post-quantum cryptography is being adopted across research infrastructure rather than drawing conclusions from a single institution.
FABRIC also serves another important purpose: independent validation. Cao said, “To me, FABRIC is an independent validator, so we can validate the data that we measure at NCSA and compare that with the data at FABRIC to know whether we are doing the right measurement.”
A Testbed for Innovation
Because post-quantum cryptography standards continue to evolve, researchers need the flexibility to rapidly test new monitoring tools and protocols. Traditional enterprise environments often prioritize stability, meaning they may rely on software versions that lag behind the latest security developments. FABRIC offers something different.
The ability to deploy bleeding-edge versions of network monitoring software allows the team to improve measurement accuracy as standards evolve, while contributing enhancements back to the broader cybersecurity community.
Looking Ahead
Although the original research project is nearing completion, the work is far from over. Demand from campus IT leaders, industry partners, and the broader research community continues to grow. The team plans to expand PQSee, continue improving its measurement capabilities, and make it easier for organizations to understand their post-quantum readiness. The project website, PQSee.com, provides access to the team’s research, presentations, and open-source code, helping others evaluate and deploy the tool within their own environments.
As governments and organizations prepare for the transition to post-quantum cryptography, having accurate measurements will become increasingly important. By providing a national testbed for experimentation, validation, and deployment, FABRIC is helping researchers move beyond speculation and toward evidence-based cybersecurity—ensuring that when the post-quantum future arrives, the research community is ready.