The quantum threat is not coming. It’s already here.
Adversaries are harvesting encrypted data today, storing it until quantum computers can decrypt it. Your most sensitive information — defence communications, financial records, intellectual property — may already be at risk.
Senetas designs and manufactures high-speed network encryptors that are quantum-safe today. You can deploy them across your existing network without replacing infrastructure — in hours, not years.
95% of organisations lack a defined quantum strategy.
ISACA Quantum Computing Pulse Poll
Why post-quantum encryption cannot wait.
The goalposts keep moving in one direction.
Recent research suggests the quantum resources needed to break major encryption standards may be falling faster than expected. In 2025, Google Quantum AI showed that breaking 2048-bit RSA encryption may be achievable with fewer than one million noisy qubits. In 2026, the same team published analysis on ECC-256, which protects Bitcoin and much of today’s secure web traffic, showing a similar downward trend.
This does not mean quantum computers can break encryption today. It means the safe runway is shortening. The distance between theoretical and operational risk is shrinking, which changes the risk calculation now.
Sensitive data is already being harvested.
Harvest now, decrypt later attacks collect encrypted data now, with the intent to decrypt it once quantum capability matures. The highest-risk data is anything that must remain confidential
for five years or more, including government, defence, financial services, healthcare and intellectual property records.
The migration window is shorter than it looks.
Australia has set a 2030 deadline for retiring quantum-vulnerable cryptography, and the US recently moved its deadlines forward: key establishment by end 2030. For large enterprises and agencies, cryptographic migration can take three to five years across hardware, software, policy and governance. Waiting until the deadline is not a viable plan.
The Senetas solution
Quantum-safe encryption for your entire network.
Senetas is an Australian cybersecurity company specialising in defence-grade, Senetas delivers quantum-safe protection for data moving across existing networks — without requiring organisations to replace core infrastructure.
Its physical and virtual network encryptors operate independently of the applications, operating systems and cloud platforms that data passes through. In 2024, Senetas was first to market with high-speed hardware network encryptors supporting Quantum Resistant Encryption (QRE). Its certified solutions support all five NIST PQC algorithms in hardware today, helping organisations test, deploy and scale post-quantum protection with confidence.
Implemented, not just ready. Senetas has all five NIST PQC algorithms running in certified hardware today.
Crypto-agile by design
Update algorithms in-field without replacing hardware.
Hybrid mode
Run classical and post-quantum encryption together to counter HNDL risk.
Transport Independent
Mode (TIM)
Drops into existing networks to secure traffic at Layers 2, 3 & 4 across any transport
QKD and QRNG compatible
Add further quantum-safe key generation and distribution layers where required.
Certified and trusted
FIPS 140-3 Level 3, Common Criteria EAL 2/4+, US DoDIN APL and NATO Restricted certified.
Post-Quantum Encryption 101
The short answer: A fundamentally different type of computer that can solve certain problems — including breaking today’s encryption — exponentially faster than any classical machine.
Classical computers store information as bits: 1s and 0s. Quantum computers use qubits, which can represent multiple states at once through superposition and can work together through entanglement. This gives quantum computers exceptional power for specific problems, including those that underpin today’s encryption.
That power could accelerate breakthroughs in medicine, climate modelling, logistics and AI. It also threatens the cryptographic foundations of the digital economy.
Today’s most widely used encryption relies on hard mathematical problems that classical computers can’t solve quickly. Quantum computers can.
Most public-key cryptography, including RSA, Diffie-Hellman and ECC, is secure today because the underlying maths takes classical computers an impractical amount of time to solve.
A sufficiently powerful quantum computer running Shor’s algorithm could solve those same problems in hours or days. Symmetric encryption, such as AES, is less immediately vulnerable but still weakened by Grover’s algorithm, which can reduce effective key strength.
A new generation of cryptographic algorithms designed to be secure against both classical and quantum computers.
Post-quantum cryptography uses mathematical approaches, including lattice-based, hash-based and code-based constructions, that are believed to remain hard for quantum computers to solve.
In August 2024, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalised its first suite of PQC standards:
- FIPS 203 — Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism Standard (ML-KEM)
- FIPS 204 — Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Standard (ML-DSA)
- FIPS 205 — Stateless Hash-Based Digital Signature Standard (SLH-DSA)
NIST has since added two further standards, creating a broader set of algorithm options for different use cases and deployment environments.
These standards give organisations a credible, internationally recognised foundation for quantum-safe migration. Senetas has implemented all five algorithms within its network encryptors.
Attackers are stealing your encrypted data today, betting they can decrypt it once quantum computers become powerful enough.
Harvest now, decrypt later (HNDL) is an attack strategy where adversaries intercept and stockpile encrypted data so they can decrypt it later once a cryptographically relevant quantum computer is available. You do not need to wait for quantum computers to exist to be exposed.
If your data needs to stay confidential for five years or more, it is already at risk. This includes classified communications, financial records, medical records, IP, R&D data and personally identifiable information.
The ability to change your encryption algorithms without replacing your hardware or rebuilding your network.
Crypto-agility lets you add or swap cryptographic algorithms, including post-quantum ones, without a rip-and-replace of your network infrastructure.
A crypto-agile platform can also run classical and post-quantum algorithms in hybrid mode, protecting data in motion while you migrate at your own pace.
No — and the confusion matters.
These terms are often used interchangeably, but they refer to different approaches.
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) means new classical algorithms — software or firmware — designed to be mathematically resistant to quantum attacks. It can run on existing hardware.
Quantum encryption typically refers to methods that use quantum physics to protect data, most commonly Quantum Key Distribution (QKD).
Both can be part of a quantum-safe strategy. PQC is the immediate, scalable foundation. QKD can add another layer for mission-critical environments. Senetas products support both.
A method of distributing encryption keys using quantum physics, where any interception attempt is detectable.
QKD uses photons to transmit keys. Any eavesdropping attempt disturbs the quantum state, making interception detectable before sensitive data is transmitted. QKD is most relevant for mission-critical or classified networks and can be used with PQC for an additional layer of defence. Senetas encryption solutions are QKD-compatible.
A device that generates random numbers from inherently unpredictable quantum processes, providing a high-quality source of entropy for cryptographic key generation.
Strong cryptography depends on high-quality randomness when generating encryption keys. QRNGs use quantum phenomena, such as photon detection or quantum noise, to produce genuinely unpredictable numbers. They are not required for PQC, but can provide additional assurance for high-security environments.
Ready to assess your exposure?
Your transition roadmap
A staged approach to quantum-safe security
Migrating to post-quantum encryption is a multi-year program. This roadmap gives organisations a practical way to assess exposure, test hybrid protection and move towards compliance.
Stage 1
Assess & Mitigate next 90 days
Use the Australian Signals Directorate’s LATICE framework to identify where cryptography is used, how long data must remain confidential, and which systems face the highest HNDL risk.
Prioritise: classified intelligence, R&D, medical records, long-retention financial data and other sensitive information with long confidentiality lifecycles.
Stage 2
Pilot & Architect next 12 months
Deploy PQC in hybrid mode in controlled environments. Use this stage to test interoperability, establish performance baselines and validate the migration approach before wider rollout.
Thales offers a High Speed Encryptor Starter Kit that provides a ready-made test environment. Senetas FPGA-based platforms help manage latency risk and support seamless integration.
Stage 3
Rollout & Compliance target completion 2030
Roll out quantum-safe protection in phases, starting with critical and hard-to-update infrastructure. Align the program with NIST PQC standards and relevant national requirements.
Senetas certified products support all NIST PQC algorithms and are designed for compliant deployment without compromising network speed, availability or requiring hardware replacement.
FAQs
No. Senetas network encryptors are built on flexible FPGA architecture, which means they can be updated in-field to support post-quantum algorithms. You do not need to rip and replace your current infrastructure to become quantum-safe. Existing Senetas customers can begin their PQC transition on current platforms today.
Now. Australia’s 2030 deadline sounds distant, but cryptographic migrations can take three to five years across large environments. HNDL risk also means long-lived sensitive data may already be exposed.
Hybrid mode means running classical algorithms, such as AES-256, alongside post-quantum algorithms on the same platform. It helps protect against classical threats today and quantum threats in the future without waiting for a full PQC rollout.
Senetas supports the NIST PQC standards — FIPS 203 (ML-KEM), FIPS 204 (ML-DSA) and FIPS 205 (SLH-DSA). Senetas was first to market in 2024 with high-speed hardware network encryptors offering Quantum Resistant Encryption (QRE).
PQC uses quantum-resistant mathematical algorithms that can run on existing hardware. QKD uses photon transmission to distribute encryption keys and detect interception. Both can form part of a quantum-safe strategy, and Senetas products support both.
Yes. Requirements are tightening across major jurisdictions, including Australia, the US, EU, UK, France and Japan.
These are becoming procurement and compliance obligations, not aspirational targets. Organisations that delay run the risk of falling outside certification or migration windows before transition work is complete.
Most large organisations should plan for three to five years, especially where legacy systems, complex supply chains or certification requirements are involved. Acting now is the realistic path to compliance.
Digital sovereignty means retaining control over your data, cryptographic keys and security architecture, regardless of where infrastructure is hosted or which vendors supply it.
Quantum risk makes this more urgent. True sovereignty requires encryption you control, algorithms you can update and keys only you hold. Senetas products support sovereign and national algorithms for government and defence environments.
Cryptographic safety margins can erode quickly. The lesson from past encryption weaknesses is clear: once sensitive data is harvested and later decrypted, confidentiality cannot be restored.
