NTT Research contributed to 28 papers accepted at the International Cryptology Conference (CRYPTO) 2026, indicating a significant concentration of research from a single organization at a leading cryptography event, the company says. The work, stemming from NTT Research’s Cryptography & Information Security Lab and NTT Social Informatics Laboratories, advances post-quantum cryptography in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Northeastern University and Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.
According to Brent Waters, Director of the Cryptography & Information Security Lab at NTT Research and Professor of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin, “Cryptography must evolve before the systems and threats it is designed to address fully arrive.” This research strengthens the foundations needed to protect data and computation across classical, quantum, and AI-enabled systems as organizations prepare for increasingly sophisticated attacks.
NTT Research Advances Post-Quantum Cryptography at CRYPTO 2026
NTT, Inc. serves more than 75% of the Fortune Global 100, a scale reflected in the 28 papers from NTT-affiliated researchers accepted at the CRYPTO 2026 conference; this concentration of research output signals a substantial investment in cryptographic advancement. The accepted papers explore new cryptographic capabilities, their implications for security and privacy, and the urgency of preparation for quantum computing, distributed data sharing, and increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks, according to NTT Research.
Alper Çakan, Vipul Goyal, Fuyuki Kitagawa, Ryo Nishimaki, and Takashi Yamakawa each authored papers examining the complexities of quantum cryptographic protections when adversaries gain multiple copies of quantum information, addressing a gap between existing security models and potential real-world attacks on emerging quantum networks. Further research introduces methods for verifiable deletion of quantum information, a critical advancement as data replication and quantum computing complicate the task of truly erasing digital footprints.
The work also addresses scalability challenges in attribute-based encryption, potentially enabling more precise data control across cloud platforms and among AI agents. One study identifies new attacks on Unbalanced Oil and Vinegar post-quantum signature designs, demonstrating the need for rigorous testing of quantum-resistant technologies before widespread deployment to protect long-lived systems and data. Collectively, these findings represent a concerted effort to build a more secure and trustworthy digital future.
Quantum Information Enables Anonymous Money & Verifiable Voting
Researchers are actively exploring methods to create anonymous digital money impervious to copying and voting systems capable of public verification, addressing growing concerns about privacy and trust in digital systems. This work extends beyond theoretical cryptography, probing the resilience of quantum systems when faced with increasingly sophisticated attacks. Further research, led by Çakan, Goyal, and Justin Raizes of Carnegie Mellon University, investigates the verifiably deletion of quantum information.
The team’s work aims to provide evidence of deletion while simultaneously preventing recovery or later misuse of the data, strengthening privacy protections in a complex digital landscape. These papers deepen our understanding of what is possible, what is impossible and what must be made more efficient, from quantum security and advanced encryption to secure computation and verifiable proofs.
Cryptography must evolve before the systems and threats it is designed to address fully arrive. These papers deepen our understanding of what is possible, what is impossible and what must be made more efficient, from quantum security and advanced encryption to secure computation and verifiable proofs. That combination of foundational insight and practical direction is essential to building security and privacy for the next era of computing.
Brent Waters, Director of the Cryptography & Information Security Lab at NTT Research and Professor of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin
Multi-Copy Security Challenges in Emerging Quantum Networks
NTT Research and Carnegie Mellon University researchers are addressing a critical vulnerability in quantum cryptography: the security of information when duplicated within a network. This research directly responds to the evolving threat landscape beyond theoretical single-copy security models. The research, conducted in collaboration with Fuyuki Kitagawa and Ryo Nishimaki of NTT Social Informatics Laboratories, and Takashi Yamakawa, aims to proactively anticipate and mitigate potential vulnerabilities before they are exploited. This proactive approach is particularly vital given the increasing complexity of data storage and processing.
Certified Deletion of Quantum Information for Enhanced Privacy
The team’s findings, presented at the CRYPTO 2026 conference, detail potential weaknesses in existing quantum protocols when subjected to repeated observation. The implications of this research extend to cloud replication and persistent storage, where data redundancy is standard practice.
Alper Çakan of Carnegie Mellon University, Vipul Goyal of NTT Research, and colleagues explored this challenge in their paper, “Multi-Copy Security in Quantum Cryptography and More.” Further strengthening data privacy, a separate NTT Research collaboration introduced new protections for verifiable deletion in a quantum environment. The team, including researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, Justin Raizes, and Fuyuki Kitagawa of NTT Social Informatics Laboratories, is focused on building systems that can guarantee data is truly gone, even in the face of increasingly sophisticated attacks.
Attribute-Based Encryption Scales with Boolean Formulas
The research, detailed in the paper “Pairing-Based Registered ABE for Boolean Formulas with a Linear-Size CRS,” addresses a critical need for granular data control as information increasingly flows between cloud platforms, organizations, users, and artificial intelligence agents. Traditional ABE systems often struggle to scale effectively when dealing with intricate access requirements, demanding substantial resources during initial configuration. This new approach supports policies defined by Boolean formulas, enabling a complex set of conditions for data access.
A linear-size CRS is a significant improvement, reducing the computational overhead associated with establishing the encryption system and making it more practical for large-scale deployments. The implications of this scalability extend to scenarios requiring precise data governance. As organizations increasingly rely on cloud services and collaborative data analysis, the ability to define fine-grained access controls becomes paramount.
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