Liaison statement
LS on Post-Quantum Cryptography RFCs
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| State | Posted |
|---|---|
| Submitted Date | 2026-04-21 |
| From Group | 3GPP-TSG-SA-WG3 |
| From Contact | Mohsin Khan <mohsin.a.khan@ericsson.com> |
| To Group | SEC |
| To Contacts | Deb Cooley <debcooley1@gmail.com> Christopher Inacio <stndrds-inacio@andrew.cmu.edu> |
| Cc | Charles Eckel <eckelcu@cisco.com> Deb Cooley <debcooley1@gmail.com> Christopher Inacio <stndrds-inacio@andrew.cmu.edu> The IETF Chair <chair@ietf.org> |
| Response Contact | 3GPP Liaisons Coordinator <3GPPLiaison@etsi.org> Peter Schmitt <Peter.Schmitt@huawei.com> |
| Purpose | For information |
| Attachments | LS on Post-Quantum Cryptography RFCs |
| Body |
1 Overall description 3GPP SA3 has been conducting a study on transitioning to PQC [1] and is now discussing the initiation of normative work. The study aims to prepare the migration to PQC for security protocols used in 3GPP systems. Most of 3GPP’s use of asymmetric cryptography depends on IETF protocols, making it essential that the IETF publishes RFCs specifying the use of PQC algorithms in protocols such as X.509, CRLs, OCSP, CMP, TLS 1.3, IKEv2, JWS, and JWE in a timely manner. 3GPP SA3 is aware of discussions in the TLS WG where it has been proposed that in some circumstances, especially in discussions around IANA registrations for PQC algorithms, it is not necessary to publish an RFC [2]. 3GPP SA3 continues to require RFCs. 3GPP has, in the past, referenced internet-drafts in 3GPP specifications with the understanding that the drafts would become RFC in near future. However, there are several reasons why 3GPP does not consider internet-drafts suitable as long-term normative references: they include the word “draft” in their names, are often marked as expired in IETF systems, have an “intended status” that has not been reached, and a new version with major changes can be uploaded at any time by the authors without IETF approval. This issue has already generated significant discussion on the 3GPP–IETF coordination mailing list and meeting [3]. A specific current example of the issue relates to draft-ietf-tls-mlkem [4]. References [1] https://portal.3gpp.org/desktopmodules/Specifications/SpecificationDetails.aspx?specificationId=4422 [2] https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-barnes-tls-this-could-have-been-an-email/ [3] https://mailarchive.ietf.org/arch/msg/3gpp-ietf-coord/fFCEx-heJJYlhnCi14HgYJHNEAI/ [4] https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-ietf-tls-mlkem/ 2 Actions To IETF SEC Area ACTION: SA3 kindly requests IETF to take the provided information into consideration. 3 Dates of next TSG SA WG 3 meetings SA3#128 18 – 22 May 2026 Dalian, China SA3#129 24 – 28 August 2026 Prague, Czech Republic |