Cybersecurity in the Age of Quantum

With technology powering critical infrastructure and many parts of the economy, protecting systems from hacking attacks is essential. This expert panel discussion with Dorit Dor (Check Point Software Technologies) Jan Goetz (IQM) and Gabi Dreo Rodosek (CODE Research Institute) examines current threats as well as future challenges arising from quantum computing.

One basic issue with cybersecurity is that “it’s an asymmetric problem”, Dorit Dor points out. “[Hackers] need to find one problem. You need to defend against all problems.”

Remote working makes the task even harder for IT departments, she says, along with the “dramatic transformation” of many business processes – such as shifting to software-as-a-service (SaaS), the Internet of Things, automation, artificial intelligence and more.

“A lot of security is delivered by developers”, Dor notes. “In every one of these [steps] something gets added and a whole new space is opened for the attacker.”

Quantum computers take the threat landscape to another level because they can theoretically break today’s most common encryption technology.

On the other hand, this prospect has already prompted researchers to develop a new, post-quantum cryptography standard.

“So you see how one technology, which is not even ready yet, is already affecting other, very important technologies like cybersecurity”, Goetz notes.