Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC): How Businesses Can Stay Secure

Is Your Encryption Already Broken? What Businesses Need to Know About PQC

 
Table of Contents: 

• The Quantum Threat to Existing Encryption
• What is PQC, and How Does It Work? 
• Is Your Business Ready for Quantum Threats? Critical Steps to Take Now 
• Regulations Are Changing: What New PQC Standards Mean for Your Business 
• FAQ
• Next Steps

Someday soon – not tomorrow, but sooner than we hope – a thief can bypass even the most advanced locks.  

That’s the threat quantum computing poses to today’s encryption methods.   

RSA and ECC algorithms that protect financial transactions, sensitive communications, and company data will become outdated once quantum computers are fully developed.  

If you plan to wait until we get “closer” to the threat becoming real, you’re playing into the hands of cybercriminals. It’s called HNDL – harvest now, decrypt later, and they’re taking advantage of the false sense of security many organizations operate under. 

Enter post-quantum cryptography (PQC) - the next-generation cryptographic approach to withstand quantum-powered attacks.  

There’s a reason that NIST released the first batch of PQC-ready algorithms in the fall of 2024. You should take steps now to implement PQC before it’s too late. 

Why Immediate Action Matters 

Unlike traditional methods, PQC algorithms are built on mathematical structures resistant to quantum decryption techniques, ensuring long-term data protection. As quantum advancements accelerate, preparing now is not just a compliance necessity - it's a strategic imperative. 

Businesses that take proactive steps toward quantum-safe security will: 

• Safeguard their digital assets 
• Maintain customer and stakeholder trust 
• Ensure operational resilience in an evolving cybersecurity landscape 

The Quantum Threat to Existing Encryption  

Quantum computing’s immense processing power threatens traditional encryption, enabling it to break algorithms far faster than classical computers.  

By leveraging superposition and entanglement, quantum computers can solve cryptographic challenges that would take conventional systems decades.  

Specific Vulnerabilities 

• RSA Encryption: Relies on factoring large numbers - an obstacle for classical computers. Shor's algorithm can break RSA encryption within hours. 
• Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC): Widely used in digital signatures and authentication. A powerful quantum computer could derive private keys from public keys, rendering ECC-based security ineffective. 

Who's Most at Risk? 

Industries handling sensitive, long-term data are particularly vulnerable, including: 

• Government sectors 
• Financial institutions 
• Healthcare organizations 
• Critical infrastructure (satellites, gas pumps, oil rigs)

Many cryptographic applications involve long-life devices expected to remain protected for decades. The risk isn't theoretical - it's confirmed and imminent. 

For example, financial regulations require banks to retain account data for years, making PQC migration complex with encrypted backups and transition mechanisms.  

Beyond data encryption, the collapse of cryptographic infrastructure would disrupt public key infrastructure (PKI), digital signatures, and secure communications, leaving supply chains, IoT networks, and cloud environments vulnerable.  

The message is clear: organizations must upgrade to cryptography that can withstand quantum computers without delay.  

What is Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)? 

Post-quantum cryptography refers to cryptographic algorithms specifically designed to resist quantum attacks. Instead of relying on problems quantum computers can quickly solve, PQC is based on mathematical challenges that remain computationally hard, even for quantum machines. 

PQC Approaches 

• Lattice-based Cryptography: Uses complex lattice structures where finding the closest point in high-dimensional space is computationally infeasible. Algorithms like NTRU and Ring-LWE fall into this category. 
• Multivariate Polynomial Cryptography: Involves solving large, multivariable equations that quantum computers struggle with. Rainbow is a notable example.  
• Code-based Cryptography: Uses error-correcting codes to create encryption schemes resistant to quantum decryption. McEliece is a leading candidate in this category.  
• Hash-based Cryptography:  Employs hash functions to create quantum-resistant digital signatures, with the eXtended Merkle Signature Scheme (XMSS) being a key example.  

Businesses must embrace cryptographic flexibility - the capacity to change cryptographic algorithms when necessary. Organizations can ensure a seamless transition without compromising security by integrating quantum-safe algorithms into existing systems.   

Is Your Business Ready for Quantum Threats? Critical Steps to Take Now 

Planning for PQC adoption involves three key steps:  

• Awareness: Ensure executives, security teams, and application owners understand the urgency of quantum threats and the need for proactive planning.  
• Discovery: Identify all instances where cryptographic algorithms are used, analyze data encryption methods, and map dependencies across systems.  
• Risk assessment: Evaluate security risks based on asset life cycles, regulatory requirements, and projected PQC threat timelines.  

Organizations should follow guidance from the NIST, the Financial Conduct Authority and the EU Commission on post-quantum risk assessments.  

Visibility into cryptographic usage is critical, yet many businesses lack a comprehensive inventory of where cryptographic algorithms are deployed, what libraries they use, and the key sizes in place.   

With recent PCI standards emphasizing encryption evaluation, organizations must start assessing their cryptographic landscape and planning their migration.  

Regulations Are Changing: What New PQC Standards Mean for Your Business 

Recognizing the urgency of quantum threats, global organizations are racing to establish cryptographic standards:   

• National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): In August 2024, NIST finalized three PQC standards to replace RSA and ECC for digital security.  
• Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act: Mandates U.S. federal agencies to assess and upgrade cryptographic systems to quantum-safe alternatives.  
• Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance: Expected to set compliance deadlines extending to 2035, urging enterprises to start their transition now. 

Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Upgrades Are Needed Too  

Public key infrastructure (PKI) underpins enterprise security, from digital certificates to identity verification. However, because PKI relies on RSA and ECC, it faces a grave threat from quantum computing.    To ensure PKI resilience, enterprises should consider:  

• Hybrid cryptography: Implementing hybrid models that combine legacy and post-quantum encryption ensures backward compatibility while gradually introducing quantum-safe solutions. This approach is widely adopted, with post-quantum algorithms like Kyber paired with elliptic curves to secure TLS.
• Key encapsulation mechanisms (KEMs): Using KEMs that integrate PQC algorithms enhances encryption robustness and mitigates future risks. 
• Code signing: Long-life devices need secure firmware, and NIST’s FIPS 203, 204, and 205 provide new standards for organizations implementing PQC-safe code signing.  

Frequently Asked Questions about Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)

What is Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)?
Post-Quantum Cryptography covers encryption methods designed to protect data against future quantum computer attacks.

Why is PQC important?
Quantum computers can break legacy encryption like RSA and ECC. PQC ensures long-term data protection even in a post-quantum world.

When should businesses start transitioning to PQC?
Now. Cybercriminals are already using “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” tactics. Early adoption reduces future risk and aligns with upcoming compliance standards.

Strategic Imperative: Quantum Resilience 

Remember how we started? The image of a thief about to bypass even the most advanced locks. 

Quantum computing is that sophisticated threat vector, methodically exploiting the cryptographic vulnerabilities in your current security architecture.  

Right now, cyber threat actors are harvesting encrypted data, knowing that quantum computers will soon render your legacy cryptographic defenses obsolete. 

Encryption isn't just a security control - it's the foundational layer of your organization's cryptographic risk management strategy.

And that foundation is becoming increasingly compromised. 

Security leaders face a critical strategic decision: 

• Proactively implement quantum-resistant cryptography 
• Risk of becoming a case study in cryptographic compromise 

The quantum threat isn't a theoretical risk. It's an active, evolving attack surface that demands immediate architectural intervention. 

The time to recalibrate your cryptographic strategy is now - before potential decryption becomes a systemic vulnerability, before your most sensitive data becomes a potential breach target. 

Strengthen your cryptographic resilience with quantum-safe solutions before the threat becomes an unmanageable operational risk. 

Watch this on-demand PQC webinar today for deeper insights into quantum-safe strategies and ensure your organization is ready for the future of data security.  Future-Proof Your Security: Actionable Quantum-Safe Solutions