fbpx

Navigating the Quantum Threat: A Guide for CISOs

EVOLVING THREAT LANDSCAPE + Quantum Computing Ervin Daniels todayJanuary 15, 2025 79 1

Background
share close

Navigating the Quantum World

Staying ahead of emerging cybersecurity challenges is essential to protecting your organization’s data and maintaining trust. One of the most significant threats on the horizon is the rise of quantum computing. While quantum technology promises advancements in fields like healthcare and logistics, it also threatens to break the encryption that secures much of today’s digital world. This article explores what CISOs need to know about quantum threats, why it matters now, and how to prepare your organization.

Cryptography: The Backbone of the Digital World

Cryptography is foundational to nearly every aspect of our digital world, securing the systems and data we rely on daily. From safeguarding communications to protecting critical infrastructure, cryptography ensures the integrity, confidentiality, and authenticity of digital interactions. However, as quantum computing advances, the cryptographic safeguards underpinning these domains face unprecedented risks.

Examples of Cryptography in Action:

      • Internet Security: Protocols like DNS and HTTPS encrypt web traffic, ensuring communication remains private and authentic.
      • Critical Infrastructure: Encrypted control systems protect vital sectors such as energy grids and pipelines from malicious interference.
      • Blockchain and Cryptocurrency: Cryptographic algorithms validate transactions and contracts, securing decentralized systems.
      • Digital Signatures: Used in financial and legal transactions, digital signatures ensure authenticity, prevent tampering, and maintain compliance with regulations like PCI DSS.
      • Online Payments: Sensitive data, such as credit card details, is encrypted during transmission to ensure that only authorized parties can access it.
      • Everyday Communications: Even routine activities like sending emails rely on encryption to keep messages private and secure.

Understanding the Quantum Threat

The above examples of cryptography keep us safe today. Today’s traditional encryption methods, such as RSA, ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography), and DSA (Digital Signature Algorithm), rely on mathematical problems nearly impossible for classical computers to solve in a reasonable timeframe. Quantum computers, however, can solve these problems exponentially faster using algorithms like Shor’s, putting today’s encryption at risk.

Why CISOs Need to Act Now: The “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” Threat

A particularly urgent concern is the “harvest now, decrypt later” threat. What does this mean in practical terms? A malicious actor has multiple paths to taking advantage of unprepared organizations.

Even before quantum computers are generally available, cybercriminals are finding ways to break into companies’ systems, stealing (or “harvesting”) large amounts of encrypted data and saving it for later. Once quantum computers are fully developed, cybercriminals can use them to crack the stolen encryption and access stolen data. This is called a “Harvest now, decrypt later” attack. This risk should be a big concern if you’re a company handling sensitive information, like sensitive customer data, financial data, and healthcare records, that must stay safe for 5-7 years.

When quantum computers become powerful enough (called “cryptographically relevant”), unprepared companies could face even more significant problems, such as:

      • The decryption of Stolen Data: Hackers could quickly unlock and use encrypted data immediately.
      • Spoofing Digital Authentication: Hackers could fake certificates or IDs to sneak into systems or cause disruptions.
      • Forging Digital Signatures: By faking digital signatures, they could alter essential documents, like contracts or legal records.

Organizations that don’t prepare for these risks could face future security and trust issues.

The Road to Quantum Safety: Phased Approach For Crypto-Agility

As the cybersecurity landscape evolves, organizations must prioritize crypto-agility—the ability to swiftly replace or update cryptographic algorithms, encryption keys, and protocols without disrupting operations or requiring extensive system overhauls. Achieving crypto-agility ensures that systems remain secure against emerging threats, including those posed by quantum computing. The path to crypto-agility requires a strategic, phased approach to ensure minimal disruption while addressing vulnerabilities and future-proofing your organization’s security.

Here are three strategic phases:

Phase 1: Understanding and Discovery

Begin by assessing your organization’s current cryptographic environment. Identify outdated encryption methods, such as those used in legacy systems or payment processes, and map out dependencies within applications, networks, and storage systems. This discovery phase helps pinpoint areas of risk and provides a clear starting point for transformation.

Phase 2: Strategy Development

Once you understand the scope of your cryptographic usage, prioritize critical areas that pose the greatest risk or have the highest business impact. Develop a phased transformation plan guided by governance frameworks, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives. This phase sets a clear roadmap for addressing vulnerabilities while maintaining operational efficiency.

Phase 3: Remediation and Agility

The final phase focuses on replacing outdated cryptographic algorithms with newly approved quantum-resistant algorithms to secure systems against future quantum-enabled attacks. In 2024, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalized its first set of post-quantum cryptographic standards, selecting algorithms designed to withstand quantum threats. These include:

  • CRYSTALS-Kyber (Key Encapsulation Mechanism – KEM): Used for secure key exchange, offering strong performance and efficiency, ideal for cloud and network environments.
  • CRYSTALS-Dilithium (Digital Signature Algorithm – DSA): A digital signature algorithm known for its high security, simplicity, and ease of implementation.
  • SPHINCS+ (Stateless Hash-based DSA): A digital signature algorithm providing robust security through a hash-based design, particularly for applications requiring stateless operations.

Additionally, IBM’s FN-DSA (FALCON) has been selected for future standardization. By adopting these algorithms, organizations can secure critical systems while staying aligned with global standards.

The Importance of Crypto-Agility in an Evolving Threat Landscape

Crypto-agility ensures that organizations can remain secure in the face of ever-changing threats. This means creating processes and deploying technologies that enable rapid adaptation. It reduces the risk of data breaches caused by outdated encryption and positions organizations to adopt new cryptographic standards without significant disruptions. By taking a phased approach, businesses can address vulnerabilities systematically while preparing for future advancements in cybersecurity. This approach empowers organizations to safeguard sensitive data and maintain trust in an increasingly uncertain digital landscape.

Key Takeaways for CISOs

The quantum threat is already here with the “harvest now, decrypt later” approach. Immediate action is needed. Focus on gaining visibility, prioritizing vulnerabilities, and managing your organization’s security posture. Ensure compliance with emerging quantum-safe standards to maintain trust and regulatory alignment. Partner with trusted leaders like IBM to adopt a proactive and comprehensive quantum-safe strategy.

Quantum computing presents both challenges and opportunities, but the key to success lies in preparation. By addressing today’s threats, CISOs can build resilient organizations ready to navigate the quantum future.

Ervin Daniels

Cybersecurity Architect with over 25 years of Technology and Security leadership and hands-on experience across various industries (retail, public, financial services, and technology).

Written by: Ervin Daniels

email
Rate it

About the author
Avatar

Ervin Daniels

Cybersecurity Architect with over 25 years of Technology and Security leadership and hands-on experience across various industries (retail, public, financial services, and technology).


Previous post

todayJanuary 7, 2025

  • 98
close

EVOLVING THREAT LANDSCAPE Ervin Daniels

Defending What Matters Most—Our Data, Identities, and Digital Trust
Defending What Matters Most— Our Data, Identities, and Digital Trust In today's hybrid multi-cloud world, the digital realm shapes our daily lives, professional activities, and creative advancements. But as we [...]

Similar posts

Post comments (0)

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.


©2020 Ervin Daniels. Designed By Tru Brand Media Disclaimer: Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of IBM.

error: Content is protected !!