Data and encryption strategies in a post-quantum world: Harvest now, decrypt later

Paul German, CEO, Certes Networks, explains the risk associated with bulk encryption strategies and the importance of crypto-segmentation in reducing criminal exposure to data in a post-quantum world

It is now inevitable that the encryption algorithms used to secure vital data across the world – from defence and banking to infrastructure and air travel – will be breached. With the escalation in computing power enabled by quantum technology, the question is not if, but when potentially devastating breaches will occur.

With ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ hacking strategies currently in progress, criminals are banking on the power of quantum computing to allow them to unlock huge data resources. The onus is on companies not just to consider the future quantum threat but to determine how best to protect current resources today.

Here, I explain the risk associated with bulk encryption strategies and the importance of crypto-segmentation in reducing criminal exposure to data in a post-quantum world.

A quantum leap

Quantum computing is edging ever closer to reality, with venture capitalists investing almost $1.02 billion in quantum computing start-up companies in 2021 alone. While there is huge excitement around the step change in AI performance, there are issues such as the quantum computing power which could be unleashed– to which the security implications are potentially devastating.

Globally, security experts expect quantum computers to herald the breach of the asymmetric cryptography used to secure everything – from defence to infrastructure. While classical compute power would take billions of years to execute Shor’s Algorithm, which is proven to break the encryption strategies currently in place, the arrival of a quantum computer of sufficient size and complexity totally changes the game.

For companies reviewing security strategies, this post-quantum security threat is not in the future; it is not about considering how to respond when quantum computing becomes available. Criminal organisations globally are embarking upon mass data harvesting and breach schemes today on the basis that even though the information cannot be immediately decrypted, at some point in…