The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Threat ‘Cannot Be Underestimated’

(TechAsia) The work from the home revolution which took place overnight highlighted to us just how unprepared we were to keep a distributed workforce protected. Cybercriminals were lightning fast to emerge and capitalize on the crisis and confusion.
While malware may become more sophisticated and the methods of attackers harder to detect, at present we are playing against a familiar if unrelenting foe; the age of quantum computing will bring a force of adversity of new proportions.
“You might think that 2020 has been a rough year for cybersecurity, but we’re only just scratching the surface of what could go wrong,” Dr Ali El Kaafarani, founder of PQShield and research fellow at the University of Oxford’s Mathematical Institute, explains to Tech Wire Asia in this interview. “Add quantum computers into the mix, and the entire foundation of today’s information security will be under threat.”
“The scale of the quantum threat cannot be underestimated,” said Kaafarani. They will have the ability to smash through traditional public-key encryption, threatening the security of all sensitive information, past and present. Data across cars, planes, medical devices, servers, and countless other devices cannot be secured retrospectively; they must be protected now.”