2022’s Top Cyber Security Trends with a Quantum Twist

1. Preparing for the Great Migration Begins Now

In a few short months, NIST will publish its final selection of Post-Quantum Cryptographic protocols to be used as the basis of the new standards. This will ignite the largest crypto migration in the history of computing and call for a multiyear project reaching all levels of the organization. The great crypto migration is certain to be fraught with challenges, uncertainties, and unforeseen risks. Delaying action is simply avoiding the inevitable and could present undo risks to your organization.

2. Failure to Act Could Have Regulatory and Insurance Ramifications

Organizations that fail to begin their post-quantum transition could be viewed unfavorably by sector regulators and insurance underwriters. The cost of cyber insurance has skyrocketed in recent years, with prices rising 96% in the US for the third quarter of 2021. Investing in quantum-safe cyber defenses early will ensure you avoid the high cost of system obsolescence, immediately improve your overall cybersecurity posture, and demonstrate you are a security-forward organization with customer trust, business resiliency, and network stability top-of-mind.

3. MSPs a Major Target for Attack

Shoring up the supply chain has never been so important. Devastating attacks like SolarWinds demonstrate the potential weakness and vulnerabilities when third-party vendors bring poor security hygiene practices into your enterprise. This is especially true for SMBs who often outsource security to MSPs due to their lack of internal resources and limited budgets. For competitive edge and good business practices, MSSPs should invest in quantum-safe security technologies to harden their offerings, future-proof data security efforts, and attract new customers. Learn more here.

4. Home Networking Ripe for Intrusion

Experts agree that remote worksites and flexible workspaces will persist after the pandemic recedes. Home networks will be more attractive to bad actors as they are much easier to exploit than a professional secured enterprise IT environment. The new work normal underscores the importance of using strong cryptography to protect sensitive information traveling out of the enterprise and to the network’s edge. Check out our guest blog post, “Quantum Xchange and Fortinet Take a Quantum Leap Forward with Next-Generation Secure VPNs,” featured on the Fortinet Community Site here and learn more about our quantum-safe VPN offering, Phio TX-D here.

5. Modern Moonshot — China and National Security Concerns

The U.S.-China “Sputnik-like” race for quantum leadership will continue to heat up in 2022 having a rippling effect across the public and private sectors. While the U.S. has focused its efforts on advancing the development of a commercial quantum computer, China has invested heavily in quantum communications devoting $10B on quantum technologies (U.S. only $1 Billion), including their own QKD system to protect their networks from harvesting attacks. Our adversary’s interest in space-based quantum communications via its Micius Satellite has national-security ramifications, pushing the NRO to declare U.S-owned, U.S.-operated, U.S.-controlled preference for the procurement of commercial imagery. The National Counterintelligence and Security Center has also expressed its concerns launching a campaign to raise awareness with companies in critical sectors (artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, semiconductors, and autonomous systems) who do business with China to make it much harder for the Chinese to obtain technology and data. Government agencies, those in the critical infrastructure sector, and any organization that does business with China, should look to next-gen, quantum-enhanced security technologies to protect their mission-critical data. See article, Protecting American Data is the Real Crisis in National Security.

The quantum era is fast approaching and could arrive much sooner than anticipated. As 2022 unfolds, organizations must weed through quantum myths and misconceptions by improving their quantum literacy. Then, set a plan for post-quantum preparedness and act. Simply put: any organization deploying a network infrastructure today should ensure it is quantum-safe now or risk its premature obsolescence. Waiting is nothing less than shortsighted and irresponsible and could have major long-term consequences including the loss of revenues, customer trust, critical data/IP, and exposure to increased risks.

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