Researchers Discover Critical Flaw in HAWK Post-Quantum Cryptography Candidate Using Mythos Attack

Security researchers have identified a fatal vulnerability in HAWK, a third-round candidate in NIST's post-quantum cryptography standardization process, using a novel attack method called Mythos. The flaw went undetected despite years of prior cryptanalysis, effectively disqualifying HAWK from further consideration in the competition.

Why it matters: Post-quantum cryptography standardization is a critical infrastructure effort, and discovering weaknesses in candidates before standardization prevents widespread deployment of broken systems that could compromise future security.