How can we collaborate and coordinate with other stakeholders on quantum security standards and policies?

Collaboration requires engaging with governments, industry experts, and academic institutions. Standardization organizations, working groups, and consortiums help develop policies, ensuring alignment on encryption methods, post-quantum security frameworks, and regulatory compliance to safeguard against quantum threats.

Crypto agility is a critical component in the approach to integrating NIST's Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) standards. As the threat landscape evolves with advancements in quantum computing, the ability to swiftly adapt cryptographic systems becomes essential. Crypto agility ensures that organizations can seamlessly transition between cryptographic algorithms without disrupting their operations. This flexibility is vital not only for adopting PQC standards today but also for adapting to future cryptographic innovations as new threats emerge. By prioritizing crypto agility, businesses can maintain robust security and resilience in an ever-changing technological environment. Feel free to follow my blog to learn more.

With each passing year, the threat of quantum computers breaking classical cryptosystems is becoming more real. Even though current quantum computers aren't capable of doing so, with the pace of advancement in quantum hardware increasing day by day, the day won't be far when quantum computers actually break the systems. Moreover, hackers are using the 'reap now, harvest later' policy wherein, the data is captured now, and when quantum computers are sufficiently advanced, decrypt the ciphertext. Some countries have already started the migration to PQC algorithms to prevent quantum attacks. The race between the power of quantum computers and the complexity of cryptosystems has begun and is projected to only grow in the future.

Quantum computing brings with it a new set of security challenges, ranging from successfully integrating such technologies into hybrid classical-quantum workflows to actively developing measures to mitigate the quantum threats. Security is mission-critical both in a corporate but also national sense. It’s important to foster a collective sense of responsibility across individuals in an organization. And it’s vital that organizations collaborate on and integrate quantum threat intelligence into their existing security frameworks and personnel training. Finally we must follow the guidance of organizations like NIST and the community of quantum cybersecurity researchers who are actively developing quantum threat intelligence today.

Quantum computing will break conventional cryptographic techniques and pose severe cybersecurity risks to encrypted cryptocurrencies. Such resilient solutions thus require collaboration between quantum scientists, cybersecurity experts, policy makers, and ethicists. Since these represent a great variety of stakeholders, comprehensive input can be ensured, leading to engendered trust and uptake. It is also important to keep running regular risk assessments and scenario planning, ensuring transparency, ethics, and education of the public in order to be ahead of quantum threats and to ensure a safe quantum future.

As we navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of quantum threats, it's crucial to explore both quantum and classical solutions. While quantum key distribution and authentication offer exciting possibilities, don't overlook the power of classical methods available today, like Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). The recent NIST algorithms provide an immediate opportunity for organizations to enhance their security through crypto agility, allowing them to protect their systems now while remaining adaptable for future advancements. I encourage leaders to act on these developments—embrace PQC today and position your organization to stay ahead in the quantum era. For more insights, feel free to reach out or check out my latest blog post.

Quantum solutions offer transformative potential across various industries by solving complex problems more efficiently than classical methods. Applications include optimization in logistics, enhancing cryptographic security, accelerating drug discovery, and improving material science through advanced simulations. Leveraging quantum algorithms, such as QAOA and VQE, these solutions exploit quantum superposition and entanglement to process vast data sets simultaneously. Integrating quantum solutions with classical computing and cloud platforms maximizes computational power, providing innovative, scalable, and effective approaches to address current and future challenges.

Addressing current quantum computing threats primarily involves advancing & adopting post-quantum cryptography (PQC), which is resistant to potential quantum computer attacks. This shift requires developing cryptographic algorithms that can operate effectively in both classical & quantum computational environments. Governments & organizations are currently engaged in standardization efforts, with entities like NIST leading the way in evaluating & recommending robust PQC algorithms. Other strategies like QKD enhance security in data transmission, offering a theoretically unbreakable method of sharing encryption keys. These solutions requires continuous research, development, legislative support & integration into existing infrastructures.

We can follow NIST post-quantum cryptography Project- The "Cryptographic Suite for Algebraic Lattices" (CRYSTALS) encompasses two cryptographic primitives: Kyber, an IND-CCA2-secure key-encapsulation mechanism (KEM); and Dilithium, a strongly EUF-CMA-secure digital signature algorithm. Both algorithms are based on hard problems over module lattices, are designed to withstand attacks by large quantum computers.

In addition to these global efforts, Australia is also playing a significant role in the development of quantum standards. Australian organizations like CSIRO, Sydney Quantum Academy and other research institutions are contributing to the global dialogue on quantum security, focusing on both the theoretical and practical aspects of quantum technology. The Australian Government's commitment to advancing quantum technology is evident through initiatives such as the establishment of the Australian Quantum Alliance and increased funding for quantum research. Australia's involvement ensures that its quantum solutions are aligned with international standards, promoting secure and reliable quantum applications domestically and worldwide.

Quantum standards are essential for ensuring interoperability, security, and reliability in quantum computing technologies. These standards encompass protocols for quantum communication, cryptography, and error correction, guiding the development and deployment of quantum systems. International collaboration among industry leaders, academia, and standardization bodies like IEEE and ISO is crucial. Establishing common benchmarks, testing methodologies, and certification processes ensures consistent performance and security across different quantum platforms, fostering trust and accelerating the adoption of quantum technologies in various sectors.

I agree that we need to establish standards but I think that comes down to sharing our developments as we discover them. That includes white papers, research papers, etc. To have interoperability we have to be able to collaborate and share successes. If we can't work together to share the work that we have done so far getting to those interoperability standards will be difficult.

There are many country initiatives from the advent of the NIST standards. In Thailand, the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) recently released the Post-Quantum Computing Guidelines, highlighting various key points from awareness and education to international cooperation.

In Europe, the Quantum Industry Consortium (QuIC) is the largest non-profit association for bringing quantum technologies to the future of European business sectors. Non-profits like these are critical for aligning stakeholders and providing feedback to government agencies (both national and international) on future quantum related policies.

A simpler, intrinsically, physically-protective fiber cable for intra-building, short spans from the launch point to the demarc point, where the cost of your long spans are financially justified.

These are some of the topics that are being discussed at the DoD CIO level. I think more of this needs to come out and we need to have more information sharing between public and private sector if we want meaningful change to happen with Quantum Policies.

The development of quantum policies is crucial when collaborating with others. These policies provide a framework that guides the responsible development of quantum technologies, ensuring that all entities—from government bodies to private sector players—operate under a unified set of regulations. Effective quantum policies address potential risks such as privacy or encryption vulnerabilities, by quantum computing advancements. They also facilitate international cooperation, setting global standards to manage cross-border quantum threats & technology transfers. Clear quantum policies promotes transparency, accountability & trust among stakeholders & hence enhances global security infrastructure in the face of emerging quantum capabilities.

Quantum collaboration is essential for developing robust security standards & policies due to the complex & rapidly evolving nature of quantum technologies. Collaborative efforts enable pooling of diverse expertise from various domains—academic, industrial, governmental & security sectors—to address multifaceted challenges that individual entities might struggle to tackle alone. Such partnerships helps the exchange of knowledge, ensuring that standards are comprehensive and up-to-date with the latest scientific advancements & threat landscapes. Collaboration also aids in harmonizing regulations & practices across borders, crucial for global security in the digital age. It also helps universal understanding of benefits & risks of quantum.

Effective collaboration on quantum security involves connected efforts across diverse stakeholders, ranging from governmental entities to industry leaders. With open communication, these bodies can leverage expertise to develop robust standards and policies. Structured roadmaps provide frameworks for aligning priorities and collective goals, namely creating quantum-safe cryptographic solutions and standardising regulation. International summits and conferences complement these efforts by serving as platforms to share research findings, emerging technologies and best practices, while facilitating networking. This multifaceted approach keeps international cross disciplinary collaboration at its core, thus enabling universal quantum readiness.

Collaboration is huge and I think is the catalyst for the other points that were listed in this section when it comes to figuring out solutions to Quantum threats, policies and standards.

Quantum coordination is vital when collaborating on quantum standards & policies to ensure cohesive & consistent strategies across various sectors & regions. This coordination helps in synchronizing the efforts of diverse stakeholders, including tech, policymakers & industry leaders, to address the unique challenges posed by quantum tech. By facilitating a unified approach, coordination ensures that security standards are not only robust but also universally applicable, minimizing vulnerabilities in the face of quantum threats. Effective coordination also accelerates the adoption of quantum-safe practices, promoting innovation while safeguarding existing digital & communication infrastructures against potential quantum computing breaches.

One important topic that wasn’t entirely discussed thus far is “ethical quantum computing” - which in my opinion falls under quantum policies. Any future quantum policies should be made in the interest of ethical use of the technology. We need open discussions within the community and to lawmakers to ensure the technology is used to benefit society. Kudos to IBM Quantum who have already established dedicated staff exploring these topics even at this early stage of the technology.