Governments need to invest in cybersecurity that can defend against the future threat of bad actors using quantum computers that are exponentially faster than ordinary machines, a cryptography expert said.听
鈥淎ttackers could be stealing large tranches of encrypted data that would be unreadable using contemporary tools, [and] hoarding data from these breaches with the intent to decode it once better technology becomes available,鈥 said Vadim Lyubashevsky, cryptography researcher at IBM Quantum Safe, the multinational鈥檚 quantum cryptography division.听听
鈥淥rganizations may have already experienced breaches that they will not know about for many years, creating an uncertain security and liability environment,鈥 Mr. Lyubashevsky added in a Nov. 15 e-mail.听听
Quantum computing听boosts speeds over a trillion times faster than an ordinary laptop.听
听that have already invested in quantum computing are France, which announced in 2020 a five-year 鈧1.8 billion strategy for quantum technology research, and the US, with its National Quantum Initiative Act signed into law in 2018. In Asia,听听and听听have also committed billion-dollar funding for quantum computing-related projects.听鈥听
Telecommunications as the first line of defense against attacks
Any agency or organization tasked with securing critical data 鈥 as well as data that must be kept听for a long period of time听鈥 should be exploring quantum-safe cryptography, Mr. Lyubashevsky said, adding that the telco industry will benefit from this technology.听
鈥淭hey [telcos] manage foundational information infrastructure, and serve as the first line of defense against attacks seeking to undermine global information security,鈥 he said.听听
In a November 18 email, Globe Telecom Inc. said that the pursuit of passworldless systems and policies, especially for customer-facing interfaces, is something that has been a “key focus” for both its telco and fintech businesses.
“The threat of quantum computing is certainly a concern, but also just the weakness of “passwords” in general,” said Anton M. Bonifacion, Globe’s chief information security officer. “Even without the dawn of quantum computing, traditional passwords as a means of security have been proven tobe archaic and weak.”
Mr. Bonifacio said that any progress on quantum-safe cryptography or algortihms “certainly be welcome.”
“We expect that over time, the industry will be able to adopt these new and stronger cryptographic algorithms as it has done in the past,” Mr. Bonifacio told 大象传媒. At Globe, he said, “we’re not afraid to push the boundaries and be on the bleeding edge of technology.”
鈥淭hose companies responsible for fabricating physical components of telecommunications systems play a central role,鈥 Mr. Lyubashevsky added. 鈥淭hey will need to work closely with service providers and regulatory bodies to ensure these systems are not compromised by hardware hacks, which could undermine otherwise effective, newly instituted security measures.鈥澨听
IBM announced on Nov. 9 its collaboration with Vodafone, a multinational telecommunications company, for the application of quantum-safe cryptography.听听听
In its Quantum Summit 2022, IBM also announced the new members of its Quantum Network, including French bank Cr茅dit Mutuel Alliance F茅d茅rale, to explore quantum computing use cases in financial services; and Swiss innovation campus uptownBasel, to boost skill development and promote innovation projects on quantum and high-performance computing technology. 鈥斕Patricia B. Mirasol
