FARCASTER® Consulting Group specializes in cryptographic engineering and strategic consulting, with a particular focus on post-quantum (a.k.a. quantum-resistant) cryptography (PQC). We are experts in planning and executing cryptographic algorithm transitions.

Our founder, Dr. Brian A. LaMacchia, recently retired from a 25+-year career at Microsoft Corporation where he was a Distinguished Engineer and head of the Security and Cryptography team within Microsoft Research. Dr. LaMacchia is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering at Indiana University Bloomington, an Affiliate Faculty member of the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington, a Member of the Computing Community Consortium Council, and a Member of the Forum on Cyber Resiliance at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Dr. LaMacchia also currently serves as Treasurer of the International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR) and as a Vice President of the Board of Directors of Seattle Opera. Dr. LaMacchia received S.B., S.M., and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT in 1990, 1991, and 1996, respectively.

For more information about our services or to discuss your particular problem area, please send email to info@farcaster.com.

a headshot photograph of Brian LaMacchia shot through a portion of the sculpture Ada by Jenny Sabin

Dr. LaMacchia's recent publications and presentations on post-quantum cryptography include:

  • The Long Road Ahead to Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography, Invited Opening Keynote, IEEE Secure Development Conference 2022, Atlanta, GA, October 18-20. [slides (PDF)]
  • National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Cryptography and the Intelligence Community: The Future of Encryption. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/26168.
  • The Long Road Ahead to Transition to Post-Quantum Cryptography, Communications of the ACM, January 2022, Vol. 65 No. 1, Pages 28-30.
  • Post Quantum Cryptography: Readiness Challenges and the Approaching Storm”, CRA Quadrennial Paper, October 2020.