The Effect of Quantum Computing on Cybersecurity

While quantum-based assaults are still a ways off, businesses must consider how to protect data in transit when encryption is rendered ineffective.

There is growing concern that existing cryptography may soon be broken by quantum computers as research on the topic advances. In order to safeguard against these potent computers, new cryptography techniques would be necessary, rendering all current data encryption techniques useless.

Although the idea of quantum computers is not new, recent months have seen a rise in discussion about them as a result of continuous federal activity.

President Biden issued a national security letter in May 2022 outlining government efforts to foresee security issues with quantum computing. The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, enacted by the US House of Representatives in June, mandates that government agencies switch their information technology systems over to post-quantum cryptography.

The National Institutes of Standards and Technology’s (NIST’s) ongoing efforts to develop post-quantum cryptography standards are built upon by this legislation (PDF), which still needs to be approved by the U.S. Senate. NIST, on the other hand, published its initial set of four quantum-proof algorithms in July 2022. Soon after, side channel and AI attacks had successfully cracked the NIST-recommended CRYSTALS-Kyber public-key encryption and key encapsulation system.

Quantum Computing’s Power

These days, complexity makes it difficult for even the most powerful computers to crack security keys. Even in the best-case conditions, it would take a system years to decipher the standard keys. Because of this, encryption serves as an effective security barrier.

Years could be drastically reduced to a few hours thanks to quantum computing. Despite the fact that it can easily become complex, many widely used public-key encryption techniques, including RSA, Diffie-Hellman, and elliptic curve, may one day be very easy for quantum computers to crack.

In this case, the good news is that commercial quantum computing is still a ways off. Future code-breaking quantum computers, according to a National Academies research, will require 100,000 times more processing power and a 100 times better error rate. The time for these upgrades may be more than ten years away, but security leaders must start planning for them now.

If we wait until those potent quantum computers start decrypting our encryption, it will be too late.

Deep Defense Utilization

While quantum-based assaults are still a ways off, businesses must consider how to protect data in transit when encryption is rendered ineffective. The use of 5G private networks, network segmentation, and Zero Trust architectures are a few examples of best practices.

Data at rest must also be protected by organizations. Many databases contain encryption, which might be rendered obsolete in the future. When newer encryption technologies become available, organizations might need to keep certain data offline or start re-encrypting older files.

Currently, everything is encrypted, including the browser cache, password managers, and local Outlook email files. Organizations could need to minimize distribution overall if that encryption is made vulnerable in order to avoid risk, at least until stronger quantum encryption is developed.

The Way Ahead

The growing worry about a cyberattack related to quantum technology is not unjustified or imminent. Professionals in cyber security must maintain their flexibility in the face of evolving threats and ways of thinking. Let’s keep in mind to maintain a solid foundation as we advance to this next challenge.

Quantum computing is a future technology that we are moving toward, so your company should start preparing for it now while also managing the various hazards that now affect it. The defense-in-depth strategy serves as a buffer against several attack vectors. It offers enterprises comprehensive protection and a strong resistance against different assaults.