Code-Based Cryptography

What

Post-quantum approach based on syndrome decoding hardness. Key schemes: Classic McEliece (NIST Round 4), HQC, BIKE. McEliece since 1978 - decades security analysis.

Why

Code-based offers independent foundation - if lattice broken, code-based provides fallback.

Impact

High-security deploy Classic McEliece. Organizations implement hybrid lattice + code-based schemes.

Use Cases

High-security government encryption, defense quantum-safe comms, hybrid ML-KEM + McEliece, long-term data protection