All Post-Quantum, PQC Posts
-
Post-Quantum
4,099 Qubits: The Myth and Reality of Breaking RSA-2048 with Quantum Computers
4,099 is the widely cited number of quantum bits one would need to factor a 2048-bit RSA key using Shor’s algorithm – in other words, the notional threshold at which a quantum computer could crack one of today’s most common encryption standards. The claim has an alluring simplicity: if we could just build a quantum machine with a few thousand perfect qubits, decades of RSA-protected…
Read More » -
Post-Quantum
Telecom’s Quantum‑Safe Imperative: Challenges in Adopting Post‑Quantum Cryptography
The race is on to quantum‑proof the world’s telecom networks. With cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQC) projected to arrive by the 2030s, global communications providers face an urgent mandate to upgrade their security foundations. Today’s mobile and fixed‑line networks rely on public-key cryptography that quantum algorithms could eventually break. In response, the telecom industry is turning to post-quantum cryptography (PQC) as the primary defense. Yet…
Read More » -
Post-Quantum
Quantum Computing Risks to Cryptocurrencies – Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Beyond
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum derive their security from cryptographic algorithms – mathematical puzzles that are practically impossible for classical computers to solve in any reasonable time. However, the emergence of quantum computing threatens this security assumption. Unlike classical machines, quantum computers leverage quantum mechanics to perform certain computations exponentially faster, potentially breaking the cryptographic foundations of blockchain systems. While quantum computers remain in their…
Read More » -
Post-Quantum
Quantum Security: Understanding the Terminology and Context
"Quantum security" is a term that is increasingly being used. With everyone having their own definition of the term. It can carry multiple meanings depending on context, but so do other related terms. The whole field is fairly new and related terms are not yet clearly defined. So this is my attempt to untangle the ambiguity by exploring what quantum security commonly refers to, how…
Read More » -
Post-Quantum
Quantum Risk: The Coming Cryptography Reckoning
In a secure data center somewhere, an adversary is quietly stockpiling encrypted emails, financial transactions, and state secrets - betting that within a decade a new kind of machine will decrypt them in minutes. This scenario underpins what cybersecurity experts are calling "quantum risk." In essence, quantum risk is the looming threat that advances in quantum computing will shatter the cryptographic safeguards protecting our digital…
Read More » -
Post-Quantum
Cryptographic Stack in Modern Interbank Payment Systems
International interbank payments rely on multiple layers of classical cryptography to ensure security from end to end. When a user initiates a cross-border transfer at their local bank, cryptographic mechanisms protect the transaction at every stage - from the customer’s online banking session, through the bank’s internal systems, across the SWIFT interbank messaging network, to settlement in a central Real-Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) system.
Read More » -
Post-Quantum
Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Network Connectivity: Challenges and Impacts
PQC brings new dependencies between cryptography and network connectivity. Unlike the relatively small and efficient crypto of the past, post-quantum algorithms force us to consider link capacity, latency, and device limitations as first-class concerns in security design. Some network environments - particularly low-power and low-bandwidth links - will face significant challenges in a post-quantum migration, potentially impacting communication reliability. Other environments, like typical broadband and…
Read More » -
Q-Day
What Will Really Happen Once Q-Day Arrives – When Our Current Cryptography Is Broken?
As the world edges closer to the era of powerful quantum computers, experts warn of an approaching “Q-Day” (sometimes called Y2Q or the Quantum Apocalypse): the day a cryptographically relevant quantum computer can break our current encryption. Unlike the Y2K bug—which had a fixed deadline and was mostly defused before the clock struck midnight—Q-Day won’t announce itself with a clear date or time. We won’t…
Read More »
