The Linux Foundation has announced the launch of a group called the Quantum Cryptography Alliance (PQCA) in hopes of staying ahead of unknown and unpredictable risks; This group is working to address potential security vulnerabilities as quantum computing technology begins to infiltrate IT infrastructure, finance. systems and national security.
Founding members include tech giants Amazon Web Services, Google, IBM and Nvidia, as well as cybersecurity firms and research institutions.
“With the rapid advances in quantum computing, the need for strong cryptographic solutions to withstand attacks from future crypto-relevant quantum computers has become critical,” Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin said in a Tuesday news release.
The coalition includes industry leaders, academic institutions, and developers, and they must develop encryption systems for quantum processors powerful enough to break existing encryption standards.
Quantum computers use the strange properties of subatomic particles to perform calculations faster than classical computers. While still in the early stages of development, quantum systems are projected to move at a clip that could outpace the cryptographic improvements needed to keep critical information locked up.
The alliance's goal is to accelerate the transition to “post-quantum” cryptography, meaning new encryption methods that are secure with code-cracking quantum algorithms. The consortium is committed to developing open source software implementations – starting with the recently standardized ML-KEM algorithm – to help facilitate adoption across sectors and industries.
“IBM has already played a key role in the development and adoption of post-quantum cryptography, and industry collaboration will be key as quantum technology continues to develop rapidly,” IBM's Ray Harishankar said in the announcement.
Quantum computing vs. cryptocurrency
PQCA's mission takes on greater urgency with the growth and institutional acceptance of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, which rely on cryptographic security to verify transactions on decentralized networks.
While the study suggests that Bitcoin's encryption will remain invulnerable to quantum brute-force attacks in the near future, University of Sussex calculations show that quantum computers are millions of times faster than existing systems for cracking complex cryptographic keys.
However, experts believe that sufficiently powerful quantum computers will emerge within the next decade. The Linux Foundation's initiative indicates the IT infrastructure as a whole is not yet ready for this coming cryptographic upheaval.
“The critical shift to post-quantum cryptography represents one of the largest and most complex technology migrations of the digital age,” said John Felton, senior director at Cisco, a member of the consortium.
The alliance builds on years of quantum-resistant cryptography research, much of it from the University of Waterloo, home of the Quantum Computing Institute and the birthplace of PQCA's first hosted Quantum Safe project.
“The important work [University of Waterloo researchers] “Since Michel Mosca and Douglas Stabila started the open source project ten years ago, post-quantum technologies will have a profound impact on information security for industry and consumers,” said Norbert Lutkenhaus, executive director of the Quantum Computing Institute.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.
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