Promise of quantum computing requires new forms of protection

According to a KPMG survey, 60 per cent of large corporations in Canada believe it’s only a matter of time before cybercriminals use the power of quantum to decrypt and disrupt current cybersecurity protocols.

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“There’s a number of us, including me and my company and others around the world saying, ‘Okay, how can we use those old-school methods [with] 21st-century know-how [to] provide additional resilience?’” Mr. Mosca asks.

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QKD as a solution

Quantum computing also promises solutions. With Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), keys can be distributed through an optical wire and photons with some quantum mechanical properties. QKD is already in use. But the industry is still in its early days even as the quantum threat rapidly approaches.

“The idea that you could have a major algorithmic advance break all of your algorithmic methods is not speculative … it has happened,” Mr. Mosca says. “Let’s not hide under a rock, [let’s] prepare and then boldly move forward and leverage quantum and AI and anything else that comes along.”

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