Imagine a town that has used the same locks on its doors for decades. For years, those locks worked perfectly. Thieves knew they existed, but breaking them took too much time and effort, so most people felt safe. Over time, the town built banks, offices, and homes, assuming those locks would always be enough.

Now imagine someone invents a new kind of tool. Not illegal, not hidden, but far more powerful than anything that came before it. Suddenly, those old locks are no longer “broken,” but they are no longer difficult to open. The problem is not that the town did something wrong. The problem is that the world changed.

Cybersecurity today is in a similar position. The digital systems we trust are protected by security methods designed for an earlier age of computing. Quantum computing represents a new level of power, one that challenges the assumptions behind modern encryption and data protection. This is why cybersecurity must begin to change now, before quantum technology becomes widely available, not after it exposes the limits of what we currently rely on.

Understanding the Quantum Threat

Quantum computers could break encryption methods more quickly than ever before. This significant development places sensitive data and critical systems at the centre of emerging cyber threats. 

Why Quantum Changes the Game 

No one can say exactly when practical quantum computers will arrive, but the risk they pose is already very real. Attackers are not waiting. They are actively capturing encrypted data today and storing it with the expectation that future quantum computers will be powerful enough to decrypt it. This strategy, often called “harvest now, decrypt later,” is already shaping how governments and organisations think about protecting data, whether it is stored or moving across networks.

Despite this growing awareness, preparation remains uneven. While 63% of cybersecurity professionals agree that quantum computing will increase security risks, 37% admit they have not discussed quantum computing at all. This gap between awareness and action leaves many systems exposed to long-term threats.

Data at rest faces the greatest danger because it must remain secure for many years. Legal and regulatory retention requirements make this especially concerning. In the United States, HIPAA regulations require healthcare data to be stored for at least seven years, while nuclear safety records may need to be preserved for up to 50 years. If encryption is not upgraded before quantum technology matures, decades of sensitive information could suddenly become readable, with serious consequences.

Governments and standards organisations recognise this risk and are responding. Efforts are already underway to strengthen encryption standards and introduce regulations designed to ensure long-term security in a post-quantum world.

Vulnerabilities in RSA and ECC encryption

RSA and ECC encryption are built on mathematical problems that are extremely difficult for traditional computers to solve. For decades, this difficulty has been the foundation of digital security. Quantum computers, however, change that balance. Using algorithms such as Shor’s, a sufficiently powerful quantum system could solve these problems far more efficiently, undermining encryption methods that are widely trusted today.

This shift places sensitive data at significant risk.

Attackers do not need quantum computers right now to take advantage of this weakness. Many are already collecting encrypted data and storing it with the expectation that future quantum capabilities will allow them to decrypt it. These “harvest now, decrypt later” strategies are especially dangerous for industries that manage long-lived sensitive information, including financial records, personal identities, and healthcare data.

Preparing for this risk is no longer optional. Maintaining cybersecurity in the years ahead requires organisations to begin adapting their defences now, often by working with established technology providers and modern security platforms that support long-term resilience and post-quantum readiness.

What is Post-Quantum Cryptography?

Post-Quantum Cryptography, often shortened to PQC, describes a new class of cryptographic algorithms built to remain secure even in the presence of quantum computers. These algorithms are not quantum-based and do not require quantum hardware to operate. They run on the same classical systems in use today, but are specifically designed to resist attacks that could be carried out using quantum computing techniques.

In practical terms, PQC represents a shift toward encryption methods that anticipate future capabilities rather than react to them. By adopting algorithms that are resilient to both current and emerging threats, organisations can protect sensitive data long before quantum computing becomes widely accessible.

Think of them as the next gen-lock that even the newly invented tool can’t pick.

The Role of NIST and Standardisation

In 2016, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) began a global effort to prepare for a post-quantum future. It launched an open competition to evaluate and standardise cryptographic algorithms that could withstand both classical and quantum attacks. Over several years, candidates were tested under real-world conditions, with some algorithms removed along the way after weaknesses were discovered.

From this process, a small group of leading algorithms has emerged.

At the front is ML-KEM (CRYSTALS-Kyber), designed for general encryption and secure key exchange. It is valued for its efficiency and relatively small key sizes. For digital signatures, ML-DSA (CRYSTALS-Dilithium) has been selected as the primary standard, offering strong security with practical performance. Alongside it, SLH-DSA (SPHINCS+) serves as a secondary option, using a different, hash-based mathematical approach to provide diversity and resilience.

Formal standards based on these algorithms are expected to be finalised and adopted in the coming years, marking a major step toward long-term cryptographic security.

What Should Organisations Be Doing Today?

The first step is understanding your current position. Organisations should begin by taking a clear inventory of where cryptography is used across their systems, including applications, networks, data storage, and identity services. Without this visibility, meaningful progress is impossible.

Next, it is important to stay informed. Following NIST’s post-quantum cryptography standardisation process and monitoring how major technology vendors are responding helps organisations anticipate changes rather than react to them.

Testing should come before deployment. Post-quantum algorithms can be evaluated in non-production environments to understand their performance, compatibility, and operational impact without disrupting live systems.

Many organisations are also adopting hybrid cryptographic approaches. These combine classical encryption with post-quantum algorithms, offering protection against current threats while preparing for future quantum capabilities.

Finally, vendor engagement matters. Cloud providers, software vendors, and hardware manufacturers play a critical role in cryptographic transitions. Organisations should actively encourage and require their vendors to support emerging post-quantum standards.