Quantum Computing: A New Frontier
Jason Edwards, Griffin Weaver · 2024
Quantum computing represents an emerging paradigm in cybersecurity with potentially transformative impacts on businesses and governments. This chapter examines the geopolitical and strategic aspects of the global “quantum race” and emphasizes the need for a quantum-ready cybersecurity framework. Quantum computing carries the promise of radically transforming cryptographic techniques. Any significant advance in practical quantum computing could render current cryptographic defenses vulnerable, thus compromising the security of all digital communications. Quantum-resistant or post-quantum cryptography has emerged as a necessary field of study, intending to develop cryptographic systems resilient to quantum attacks. A quantum-ready cybersecurity framework requires a workforce skilled in quantum mechanics and quantum computing. Quantum computing is not a distant, abstract concept; it is a rapidly approaching reality. The developments in quantum computing are set to change how we think about data security, encryption, and information privacy.