Page 33 - Cyber Defense eMagazine RSAC Special Edition 2025
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Preparing for the Quantum Age: What
Security Leaders Need to Know Now
By Jason Rader
The race toward quantum computing is accelerating – and the security implications are something we
should consider now. When Google unveiled its latest quantum breakthrough with Willow, in December
2024, it marked a significant step forward in the quantum journey. But amid the buzz, it's important to
recognize that Willow represents just the second of six critical milestones toward scalable, usable
quantum hardware and software. We're still in the early innings, but now is the time for security leaders
to get serious about preparing for a quantum future.
Why does this matter? Because quantum computing, once realized at scale, threatens to fundamentally
disrupt the cryptographic foundations of our digital world. Today’s encryption standards, from RSA to
elliptic curve algorithms, are considered secure not because they’re unbreakable, but because breaking
them would take thousands of years with current classical computing power. Quantum systems, however,
could shorten that timeline dramatically.
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