"Malicious parties are already engaged in a 'store now, break later' strategy, collecting encrypted data now in order to crack it later once they have quantum computers. This puts our national secrets and future operations at risk," said Harry Coker, White House National Cyber Director.
"Public-key encryption will then be at risk," Coker continued. "Cracking encryption threatens the three critical pillars of cybersecurity: confidentiality, integrity and availability." He stresses the importance of taking steps to be prepared for the advent of quantum computing.
Several countries are already investing heavily in quantum computer research. "Which could be a major security threat as they seek strategic advantages and dominance in cyberspace," Coker states. "Given the size and potential impact of the threat, we need to act with great urgency." According to him, many resources are required to make the "encryption transition" a success. For example, people will be needed who can implement post-quantum encryption algorithms.
Click here for the message from the White House's National Cyber Director.
