It’s uncommon for a week to pass without the media reporting details of another cyber breach or hack. Cybercriminals and nation-state actors remain a thorn in the side of businesses and governments worldwide, and their sophisticated and malicious cyber activity causes the loss of millions of dollars every year.
Cybercriminals are upping their game
Recent research shows that attacks on network IoT devices are on the rise. While IoT technologies provide new functionality that makes life more convenient, they also give threat actors new vectors through which to spy on and interfere with unsuspecting users of IoT systems and networks. This elevates the risk of network security defenses being compromised and sensitive data at rest or in transit being accessed by unauthorized parties. And that’s not all we need to worry about. According to a recent Gartner report, more than 6 in 10 organizations suffered a ransomware attack last year, email attacks were up by 64%, and a lack of cyber preparedness hurt 79% of organizations.
In response to these growing threats, including the recent high-profile attack on the crucial Colonial fuel pipeline, President Joe Biden signed an executive order aimed at boosting US cybersecurity defenses earlier this month.
The Cybersecurity Executive Order has been heralded as a positive move and a clarion call to action for US public and private sector entities to join in the effort to raise the bar on cybersecurity. It’s also hoped that this initiative will ensure that cybersecurity takes its rightful place on the boardroom agenda in businesses across the country.
But the Order is also a sobering reminder of the advanced and persistent threat that cybercrime poses to our society. And as technological advancement marches on, we need to turn our attention to how we’re going to tackle the next new flavor of cyber threat when it emerges. And all signs indicate that that may be found in the realm of quantum computing.
Why cybercriminals are eyeing quantum
Quantum computers can solve problems that are computationally too complex for traditional computers. In the quantum world, 1 and 0 bytes can exist in two states (qubits) simultaneously, allowing computations to be performed in parallel. Quantum computers can carry out tasks that we’d never dreamed possible, making them more powerful than anything that’s ever been built to date.
The but…
While quantum computing is one of the most significant technological breakthroughs of our time, it’s not immune to compromise by calculating threat actors.
We should remember that cybercriminals are always on the lookout for the next big target. They’re well organized and well-funded. So, we shouldn’t be surprised that quantum is firmly in their line of sight. In fact, we know that they’re already working behind the scenes to figure out the best ways to bring this breakthrough technology to its knees and/or exploit its capability for nefarious purposes.
Advances in quantum computing are already being used to attempt to crack the security algorithms that protect today’s Internet data, banking transactions, and emails. There have been recent reports of individuals using quantum annealers to locate vulnerabilities in standard encryption methods. Imagine the risk this introduces to our multi-trillion-dollar global economy!
Just a matter of time
Clearly, quantum computing is changing the rules of the cybersecurity game. We need to accept that at some point, cybercriminals will exploit quantum computing to create the proverbial “crack in the dam” with potentially disastrous consequences. One day, better and more complex algorithms simply won’t be sufficient to hold back the tide. At Quantropi, we believe that the next global pandemic will be the cybersecurity threats from quantum attacks. For this reason, we believe that preparation is a necessity, not an option.
To defend against a quantum attacks, you need a quantum defense. We’re focused on using the power of quantum against quantum. Our approach enables organizations to protect and enhance their reputation and reduces the risk of the many negative consequences of a cybersecurity breach.
Powered by quantum mechanics expressed as linear algebra, Quantropi delivers three unique capabilities every complete cryptographic solution must have — Trust, Uncertainty, and Entropy (we call it TrUE Quantum Secure Solutions) … Trust in the form of asymmetric encryption, so any two entities can establish secure communications… Uncertainty so that no matter what, an attacker can never access your data… and Entropy, strong keys and strong random numbers that unlock and enable secure communications and data.
There’s a new dawn rising in the fight against quantum cybercrime.
Our global digital society needs quantum cybersecurity like never before.
Interested in finding out more about how Quantropi is rising to the quantum cybersecurity challenge and how our solutions can protect your business-critical data? If so, sign up to receive the latest news and updates or to speak with one of our specialists.
