Here’s an unsettling image for you. Imagine that one day, the security infrastructure that you have carefully and painstakingly built over many years suddenly becomes obsolete. Like a paper lock on a bank vault, all of your security methods are completely ineffective.
Well, that’s the potential impact that quantum computing will have on our current encryption methods. But before you panic, let’s put some perspective on this.
Quantum computing is a widely misunderstood concept. It isn’t just about creating a faster or more powerful version of the computers we use today. It’s bringing an entirely different approach to information processing. While your laptop processes data in binary bits (simple 0s and 1s), quantum computers use qubits.
The interesting thing about these units is that they can exist and operate in multiple states simultaneously through a property called superposition. This gives them a superpower that presents a real problem for modern network security solutions.
What Does This Really Mean For Your Security?
In practical terms, the main threat of quantum computers is that they will eventually be able to solve complex mathematical problems exponentially faster than our current computers can. Why does this matter? Most widely used encryption methods today (such as RSA and ECC) rely on mathematical problems that are extremely difficult to solve. They are so difficult that it would take billions of years to crack with currency processing capabilities. Sounds pretty safe.
Apparently not. It’s estimated that a sufficiently powerful quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm could break these encryption methods in hours, putting everything from your secure communications to digital signatures and authentication systems at risk.
The good news? This isn’t happening right now, nor will it happen overnight. And as you would expect, the security community isn’t sitting idly waiting for quantum computers to reach that stage. This gives you time to prepare, and starting now gives you a measured, strategic advantage rather than forcing a rushed response later.
Assessing Your Actual Risk Level
Before you make any drastic changes, start by taking a step back and taking a look at what your quantum security risk profile actually looks like:
- Time horizon: Most experts believe large-scale, encryption-breaking quantum computers are still 5-10 years away
- Data sensitivity: Information that needs to stay secure for decades faces more immediate quantum risk
- Threat model: Consider whether your organization is likely to be targeted by actors with early quantum capabilities
Not all of your systems and data need to be upgraded to be quantum resistant—at least not right away. Your website probably has different security needs than your payroll data. Taking the time to run a thoughtful assessment prevents complacency and unnecessary panic.
Creating Your Cryptographic Inventory
You can’t build quantum security for the encryption systems you don’t know about. Start by mapping out exactly where encryption lives in your network, such as:
- Certificate authorities and PKI infrastructure
- Authentication systems
- Data encryption (both at rest and in transit)
- Secure communication channels
- Digital signatures and verification systems
Once you’ve gathered the list, it needs to become your roadmap. This will help you prioritize which systems might need attention first based on how sensitive they may be or how complex they are to replace.
Zero Trust: A Security Model That Makes Sense Now and Later
While thinking about your quantum security efforts, there are some measures you can put in place right now that will benefit you today and when the quantum computers finally arrive and tear down our encryption. One of them is zero-trust network access (ZTNA).
What makes ZTNA so relevant to quantum security preparation is that the model addresses security fundamentals that are still vitally important (and effective) regardless of the encryption technology in place.
The core ZTNA principle of “never trust, always verify” means creating multiple layers of security that protect your entire network, even if one component is compromised. It’s an approach that looks beyond perimeter security, focusing on:
Least privilege access: By limiting what users can access to only what they need, you reduce the potential impact of compromised encryption.
Continuous authentication: Rather than authenticating once at a network boundary, ZTNA continuously validates users and devices, reducing dependency on a single potentially vulnerable encryption method.
Application-level security: Protecting individual resources rather than just network perimeters creates multiple layers of security that quantum computers would need to break through.
As you can see, these are still highly beneficial today, not just in a post-quantum future. You gain immediate security while simultaneously laying the groundwork for quantum resilience.
Post-Quantum Cryptography: The Practical Path Forward
While ZTNA acts as a reassuring safety net, it’s still not ideal to have your encrypted system broken easily. Thanks to the security community’s collaboration on this issue, there are potential quantum-resistant options that we can hopefully use to encrypt our data.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is standardizing these algorithms. Some of the most promising approaches emerging include:
Lattice-based methods: Mathematical structures that remain difficult for quantum computers to solve
Hash-based signatures: Built on well-understood cryptographic hash functions
Isogeny-based systems: Using mathematical relationships between elliptic curves
So, despite all the doom, gloom, and fearmongering around quantum computing and encryption, it’s really best to think of this not as a crisis but as a natural evolution of cryptography. Just as we transitioned from DES to AES and from RSA-1024 to stronger key lengths, this is simply the next leap in security technology (even if it is a giant one).
Practical Next Steps
Now, let’s break it down and give you some actionable steps to help you speed up your autumn security efforts.
- Educate key stakeholders: Share basics about quantum computing’s security implications without causing panic or unnecessary alarm.
- Assess your cryptographic landscape: Know where you use encryption and for what purposes.
- Implement crypto-agility: Design systems that can upgrade encryption methods without significant rework.
- Monitor standardization efforts: Stay current with NIST’s post-quantum cryptography process.
- Include quantum considerations in your security roadmap: Not as an emergency, but as a natural evolution.
Final Word
Quantum computing will have a massive effect on security, but it won’t be unmanageable. The goal (and the best practice) isn’t to rebuild your entire security infrastructure from the ground up, but to thoughtfully incorporate quantum resistance into your normal security evolution.
Time is on your side, and there are plenty of measures you can put in place that will benefit you right now AND 5-10 years down the road when quantum computers start blasting through modern encryption methods.
With reasonable preparation now, you’ll be ready when the technology reaches maturity, and that means you can approach this fascinating technological shift with confidence rather than fear.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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