HAWK, a third-round candidate in the post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standardization process, has been put out of commission after an attack using Mythos uncovered a fatal weakness in the algorithm.
According to the source, HAWK withstood years of testing that had yet to uncover the fatal weakness that Mythos ultimately found, meaning the flaw went unknown for years despite sustained scrutiny.
The discovery underscores ongoing challenges in validating cryptographic algorithms intended to resist quantum-computing attacks, raising questions about detection methods used on remaining candidates as infrastructure worldwide prepares for quantum-resistant standards.
Editorial consensus: All three drafts agreed that a Mythos attack exposed a previously undetected fatal weakness in the third-round PQC candidate HAWK, eliminating it from consideration.