Big moves have been made for Government security today, with the MoD announcing the acquisition of its first quantum computer- storming ahead in the quantum arms race.
With the development of quantum computers, the UK government will need to start shifting all its Critical National Infrastructure encryption to one based on quantum-safe algorithms.
This is a mammoth problem – is the Government ready?
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It is promising to see the UK Government’s announcement that the Ministry of Defence has acquired its first quantum computer. While the much-touted ‘Quantum Apocalypse’ may be several years away, governments and organizations across the globe must begin preparing for the new age of quantum computing; an advanced type of computation that leans on quantum physics to run multiple processes simultaneously.
For more than fifty years, public key infrastructure, or PKI, has been relied upon by almost all organizations to provide the cryptographic backbone which secures devices and the humans using them. Like most things, nothing lasts, and the PKI we all rely upon to maintain digital trust is severely threatened by quantum computing.
Quantum computing will render traditional PKI, as we know it, no longer fit for purpose. This poses a very real threat to the information security systems we all rely on to protect our freedom, liberty, privacy, and security. To remain secure, the world will have to adopt new families of quantum-resistant cryptography. The US-based NIST is currently working on selecting what the world’s post-quantum standards will be.