Recent, large-scale attacks on critical infrastructure including SolarWinds, Colonial Pipeline, and Microsoft Exchange illustrate the considerable threats facing federal agencies. To improve the nation's cybersecurity and protect federal government networks, the White House issued an Executive Order on May 12, 2021. Among the various mandates, federal agencies were given 180 days to encrypt data in transit and less time to identify the unclassified data considered to be the most sensitive and under the greatest threat. Now, with the National Security Memorandum (NSM-8) agency CIOs are required to evaluate and deploy Quantum Resistant Algorithms (QRA).
Because government data security requirements have a much longer shelf-life than other industries – up to 50 years in the case of official intelligence – it is reasonable to assume this data may be vulnerable to quantum attack if not protected properly today. To ensure critical data and communications networks are protected for the long term, federal agencies and their partners should evaluate and deploy quantum-safe encryption methods now — a sentiment now shared by the leadership in Washington.
Visit Quantum Xchange's Government Resource Center for a bundling of useful assets, expert opinion, and technical how-tos for meeting Government’s immediate and long-term data protection requirements with practical, affordable, and scalable quantum-safe security solutions.