{"id":17768,"date":"2024-05-17T18:10:48","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T22:10:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thesslstore.com\/blog\/?p=17768"},"modified":"2025-03-21T14:03:52","modified_gmt":"2025-03-21T18:03:52","slug":"researchers-are-moving-up-the-clock-for-q-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesslstore.com\/blog\/researchers-are-moving-up-the-clock-for-q-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Researchers Are Moving Up the Clock for \u2018Q-Day\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

4 industry advances and the inaugural World Quantum Readiness Day<\/a> underscore the importance of preparing now for quantum-based threats<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Several new quantum-focused research developments may have moved up the timeline for needing quantum-resistant cryptography. If you do nothing to prepare now, all of your data that\u2019s secured by modern public key algorithms may be vulnerable to harvest now, decrypt later (HNDL) attacks<\/a> in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing this, DigiCert and other industry partners are leading the charge into a quantum-ready future by establishing a new quantum security-focused holiday<\/a>. This event, which will be celebrated on Sept. 26 this year, aims to spur enterprises and governments to action and serves as a day of security-focused reflection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what are governments and organizations doing to prepare for quantum-based threats? And what can you do to improve your organization’s cryptographic agility<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s hash it out.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n<\/span><\/span>\n\n\n

4 Examples of Why PQC Readiness Shouldn\u2019t Be Put Off Until \u2018Later\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Researchers and businesses are making incredible strides in the realm of quantum computing research. Here are several of the \u201cfirsts\u201d worth noting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. The United Kingdom announced that a <\/strong>quantum navigation technology was successfully tested in flight<\/strong><\/a>. <\/strong>This initiative, which involved running test flights using \u201cadvanced quantum-based navigation systems that cannot be jammed or spoofed by hostile actors,\u201d was announced on May 13. The initiative was made possible through a partnership between UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)<\/a>, Infleqtion<\/a>, BAE Systems<\/a>, and QinetiQ<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. MIT researchers found a way to <\/strong>configure atoms more closely than ever before<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> The closer two atoms are, the more strongly they interact. And in this case, the team was able to manipulate atoms into being only 50 nanometers apart<\/a>. The thought is that this close configuration could be conducive to generating \u201cpurely magnetic dipolar gates\u201d that could be used to create a new type of quantum computer<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Microsoft and Quantinuum<\/a> achieve <\/strong>the world\u2019s best error rates<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> Researchers in this joint venture were able to demonstrate an 800x improvement between logical and physical qubits. By increasing the fidelity (reliability) of logical qubits in quantum computation, the companies declare they\u2019re moving from noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) Level 1 Foundational to Level 2 Resilient quantum computing<\/a>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. CA and NM researchers have found a way to <\/strong>transform everyday materials into quantum conductors<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong> Researchers at the University of California, Irvine<\/a> and Los Alamos National Laboratory<\/a> have run experiments on non-traditional quantum computing materials<\/a> such as glass to change their electrical characteristics at an atomic level. The hope is to convert these materials into strong conductors that can be used to create quantum computers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The Time to Prepare for Quantum Is Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    To a certain extent, we understand why some companies may not view quantum computing readiness as a current priority<\/a>, putting these preparations on the back burner in favor of focusing on short-term actions. But it\u2019s crucial that quantum-related priorities don\u2019t remain there and that you start planning your post-quantum strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While it\u2019s true that quantum computers are currently limited to carefully controlled laboratory settings at companies like Google and IBM, that won\u2019t always be the case. As you\u2019ll learn a bit later, advancements in quantum technologies are occurring all the time, and it\u2019s only a matter of time before these qubit-based devices are out of the lab and commercially available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Estimates from McKinsey show that nearly three-quarters of surveyed tech executives<\/a> anticipate seeing \u201cfully fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2035.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is why companies must start addressing these long-term concerns now before it\u2019s too late. Getting your organization ready to face the quantum threats of tomorrow won\u2019t be a quick process; there\u2019s a lot involved in terms of handling financial investments, planning, policies, and implementation.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Related: Post-Quantum Cryptography: 10 Things You Need to Know<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<\/span><\/span>\n\n\n

    Your PKI Is at the Heart of These Preparations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    World Quantum Readiness Day aims to light a fire under enterprises and governments. The reality is that public key technologies we rely on today won\u2019t hold up against quantum computers. This is why Google added support for hybrid post-quantum algorithms<\/a> last year as part of its preparations. (Although it\u2019s not without its issues<\/a>, as it\u2019s thought that some servers aren\u2019t equipped to handle large ClientHello<\/em> messages<\/a> in the SSL\/TLS handshake<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This is why it\u2019s imperative for organizations to take the cryptographic threats associated with quantum computing seriously and understand what they need to do to face them. Using hybrid cryptographic algorithms (i.e., a combination of classical and quantum-resistant<\/a> algorithms) to secure your data now is one way to avoid the risks associated with HNDL data decryption attacks later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While simply naming a day isn\u2019t going to prepare businesses for what\u2019s to come, it does serve as a reminder for businesses to get their acts in gear. It also supports the show-of-force we\u2019ve been seeing across the public and private sectors over the past several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How the Industry Is Preparing Now for a Quantum Future<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"An
    Image caption: A screenshot of the European Commission\u2019s PQC implementation roadmap.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    While every organization should already be preparing for quantum computing, not everyone is. And of those that are, DigiCert reports<\/a> that 61% of survey respondents are concerned that their organizations won\u2019t be prepared to address the security implications of PQC<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The good news, though, is that organizations and governments the world over are starting to engage in much-needed collaborations and discussions about how best to proceed ahead of this eventuality:<\/p>\n\n\n\n