IBM: Enabling a quantum-safe environment

During a media briefing addressing the challenges of the quantum era hosted by technology giant IBM, subject matter experts (SMEs) in quantum computing highlighted strategies for addressing concerns about its impact on encryption.

Quantum computing is making great strides faster than expected. In fact, the optimism surrounding its use cases and how it could help solve real-world problems can be quite infectious.

“Many customers and users out there have been asking whether quantum computing, which has been steadily developing, comes with risks,” said Ray Harishankar, IBM Fellow, IBM Quantum Safe. “As quantum computing progresses, one area of concern is prime number factorization, which poses a risk to today’s encryption methods.”

Read:
OneQuantum PH advances quantum computing education with lecture series
Quantum Computing: Stabilizing qubits at room temperature

Harishankar explained how prime factorization, while extremely helpful in quantum computing, could be potentially a risk to data security. The ability of quantum computers to find factors of massive numbers is crucial for many encryption methods used today to keep information safe.

Regular (or classic) computers struggle with prime factorization because it is incredibly complex. But quantum computers, with their special abilities, can solve this problem much faster. Shor’s algorithm can do that when run on a quantum computer and can crack these codes.

Harishankar further explained that security protocols most organizations rely on today, also rely upon the idea that prime factorization is too hard for computers to solve quickly.

“Q-day”

“But if quantum computers become powerful enough to crack these codes, it could potentially put our sensitive information at risk,” he said.

The Reuters special report titled “U.S. and China race to shield secrets from quantum computers” explored concerns surrounding “Q-Day,” the hypothetical day when quantum computers decode encryption, rendering it ineffective.

“Securing today’s data against the future risks posed by quantum computing needs to begin now,” Harishankar said.

He also emphasized the importance of initiating education for both customers and researchers without delay.

IBM Quantum Safe

In 2016, the NIST assessed 69 cryptographic schemes for potential standardization and chose four finalists: for public key encryption and for digital signatures. After a rigorous selection process of algorithms submitted, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has chosen cryptographic tools that can possibly block quantum computers in 2022. These cryptographic tools — Dilithium, Crystals, Falcon, and Kyber — are available on the IBM z16 mainframe.

IBM has developed the IBM Quantum Safe technology, which is a comprehensive set of tools, capabilities, and approaches for securing enterprises in preparation for the quantum future and ensuring data security.

In its experience with working with clients, IBM recognized the critical need to address cryptography-related issues, with discovery being the initial step. Uncovering such issues can be daunting, even for large enterprises. Once this hurdle is overcome, the subsequent steps become more manageable.

“We believe that the time to start is now,” emphasized Harishankar. “Enterprises need to begin to understand and create an inventory of their cryptography usage across the organization.”

With a comprehensive understanding, securing these assets can be achieved incrementally and systematically. Prioritizing the protection of the most valuable, vulnerable, or critical systems is key.