Nationally Sanction Cyber Attacks
The first institutions to use quantum computing for cyberattacks will likely be government agencies. Due to the nature of quantum computers and the high cost of developing and operating them, only wealthy governments will have the resources to use such computers. What it means for cybersecurity in domestically sanctioned cyberattacks against other foreign governments. With the development of computers and networking technologies, governments around the world have used them to attack other countries.
This comes in the form of information hacking, power grids and water treatment plants, and even electoral affairs.According to the Center for Strategic Business & International Studies (CSIS), government agencies around the world have conducted hundreds of cyberattacks since 2006. If quantum computers become powerful enough, they can be used by powerful governments to crack the encryption methods of other foreign governments. It is clear that nationally sanctioned cyber attacks are commonplace in today’s society and governments are constantly looking for tools to facilitate hacking.
In 2018, Congress signed into law the National Quantum Initiative Act, which aims to enhance quantum computing development in the United States. Individual cybercriminals will soon no longer have access to quantum computers, forcing encryption to only be cracked by the most powerful entities such as national governments. Secure Quantum Cryptography. A potential solution to concerns about a quantum computer’s potential to crack encryption methods is the development of secure quantum cryptography. Also known as “post-quantum or quantum proof,” it refers to cryptographic algorithms that are known to be immune to attacks from quantum computers.
Because today’s popular public-key algorithms like RSA and ECC rely on “difficulty factoring large primes”, they can be broken by Shor’s algorithm, making them vulnerable. Although secure quantum cryptography is not yet fully developed, they are already making significant progress and are preparing draft standards as early as 2022.“NIST is likely to standardize many digital signature algorithms to replace signatures specified in FIPS 186-4 (such as RSA, DSA, and ECDSA), as well as many Key Wrapping Mechanism (KEM) algorithms to replace specific key determination algorithms in NIST SP 800-56 A/B (as DH, ECDH, MQV and RSA OAEP.)”