There’s a serious cyber-threat looming on the horizon, and anyone who deals with sensitive information, business or government, should be thinking about how to protect their data against it.
Universally regarded as the most significant threat to cybersecurity in history, quantum computing (in the hands of bad actors) will render today’s conventional mathematics-based public key data encryption ineffective. Sensitive data transmitted across networks (public and private) demands long-term security through high-assurance encryption. However, quantum computing will put that all at risk. In a post-quantum world, Quantum Resistant Encryption will be essential for long-term data protection.
Senetas recently announced the first commercially available network quantum resistant encryption (QRE) security capability, protecting sensitive government and business network data against the emerging threat of quantum computing. Significantly, the QRE solution leverages Senetas’ high-assurance hardware encryption security platform, used by government agencies, defence forces, commercial enterprises and cloud service providers for over 20 years.
The security of QRE and embedded-encryption
QRE technology is an enhancement to Senetas’ internationally certified encryption platform, providing additional security through an embedded encryption model. The embedded model offers customers “defence in depth”, combining the proven, state-of-the-art conventional encryption standards plus QRE in a single high-assurance platform. This enables a secure transition, starting today, to a future quantum-resistant world and means current customers will not face solution redundancy.
Make no mistake, quantum computing is coming. Tech giants like IBM, Google, Microsoft and Amazon are competing with state sponsored programs to develop a quantum computer outside a lab environment. The potential use of quantum computing by rogue states and state-sponsored bad actors is a serious security concern now.
Senetas recommends customers consider how they plan to protect sensitive information against misuse of quantum computing. Ideally, organisations will conduct Post-Quantum Risk Assessments, starting with their business-critical network infrastructure.
Quantum resistant encryption
Senetas QRE combines three key pillars of quantum technology:
- quantum resistant algorithms
- quantum key distribution
- quantum random number generation
It supports the quantum resistant encryption candidate algorithms already selected as finalists by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) prior to the expected standardisation as soon as 2022. The Senetas solution also supports the latest European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI) standards for quantum key distribution – an important and emerging security capability that has applications in growing 5G networks.
Senetas is the first to take to market defence-grade, high-assurance network encryptors that provide QRE in addition to today’s state-of-the-art classical encryption security.
Want to discover more about QRE, or discuss the benefits of a Post-Quantum Risk Assessment?
