The following quantum resources are provided to assist boards (Chairs, Directors) and related people (CEO, Company Secretary, etc.) to better understand this key technology, so they may govern their organisations more effectively through technology change.
Post Quantum Cryptography
Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC), also known as Quantum Resistant Cryptography or Quantum Safe Cryptography, is a set of new cybersecurity standards that protect today’s secure information sessions from being disclosed in the future due to the work of a sufficiently large / powerful quantum computer. NIST standardised their first set of PQC algorithms in August 2024.
The present-day threat is that a malicious organisation or individual can capture a secure information session today, wait for a suitable quantum computer, and then get access to the confidential or private information within that session. Some types of information, typically handled by government, financial, health or legal organisations, will still be valuable at this point, and access to this information will be considered a breach. This is known as the Store Now Decrypt Later threat. To avoid that scenario, such organisations need to quickly move away from protection that is reliant on older crytography standards.
The following quantum resources are recommended to better understand post quantum cryptography:
- When will a sufficiently large / powerful quantum computer arrive? The Global Risk Institute has published regular Quantum Threat Timeline reports to try to answer this, based on surveying a panel of international experts. The most recent Quantum Threat Timeline report is from November 2024, and it shows that about a third of experts thought it likely such a quantum computer would appear within 10 years, and nearly two thirds of experts thought it likely within 15 years.
- Am I quantum safe now? This resource will help you determine if your browser, devices and applications implement PQC and hence have the capability to keep you safe from the Store Now Decrypt Later threat.
Australian Quantum Landscape snapshot 2024 v1.1 (September 2024)
