Software-Defined Cryptography: A Design Feature of Cryptographic Agility

Abstract

Given the widespread use of cryptography in Enterprise IT, migration to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is not drop-in replacement at all. Cryptographic agility, or crypto-agility, is a design feature that enables seamless updates to new cryptographic algorithms and standards without the need to modify or replace the surrounding infrastructure. This paper introduces a notion of software-defined cryptography as the desired design feature for crypto-agility, emphasizing the role of software in providing centralized governance for cryptography and automated enforcement of cryptographic policies, such as migration to PQC.