Why did President Biden Sign a Memo to Combat Quantum Computing Threat?

This is a very good question … and at IronCAP™ we know the answer!

Finally, everyone is waking up to the fact that quantum computers are now a threat to security! There is a real and present danger. A quantum computer of sufficient size and sophistication( also known as a cryptanalytically relevant quantum computer) will be capable of breaking much of the public-key cryptography used on digital systems throughout  the world!

The White House has announced that President Joe Biden has signed a National Security Memorandum (NSM) aimed at maintaining U.S. leadership in quantum information sciences and to mitigate the risks of quantum computing to the Nation’s security.

“Promoting United States Leadership in Quantum Computing While Mitigating Risks to Vulnerable Cryptographic Systems” – also known as NSM-10 – directs U.S. Government agencies to migrate vulnerable cryptographic systems to quantum-resistant cryptography as part of multi-year effort. As the National Manager for National Security Systems, the Director of NSA will oversee this process across the 50-plus government departments and agencies using National Security Systems (NSS) – systems that contain classified information or are otherwise critical to military or intelligence operations.

“A cryptanalytically relevant quantum computer could jeopardize civilian and military communications as well as undermine supervisory and control systems for critical infrastructure,” said GEN Paul M. Nakasone, Commander, USCYBERCOM, Director, NSA/Chief, CSS. “The No. 1 defense against this quantum computing threat is to implement quantum-resistant cryptography on our most important systems.”

While NSA will spearhead many of the tasks in NSM-10 to ensure NSS are quantum resistant, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will ensure U.S. critical infrastructure and other U.S. Government systems also move toward quantum-resistant cryptography.

“Implementing approved quantum-resistant cryptographic solutions across all of our systems will not happen overnight, but it’s critical that we chart a path to get there considering the potential threat of quantum computing,” said Rob Joyce, NSA Cybersecurity Director and Deputy National Manager for National Security Systems.

You need to act now!

We at IronCAP™ have been trying to educate businesses and individuals that Q-day (the day the first quantum hack is publicly recognized) is around the corner and everybody needs to gear up. Nation states and governments are already at it, how about you? To learn more, visit www.ironcap.ca.

IronCAP™ is our latest innovation for the post-quantum cybersecurity. This patent-protected, post-quantum cryptographic system is based on the Goppa Code-based cryptographic technology. It has embedded our proprietary subclass of (L, G) making it not only more secured but also has faster cryptographic operations (key generation, encryption, decryption) than the traditional Goppa Code-based technology (McEliece). We are offering a live demonstration for the general public to try and experience the strength of IronCAP™ post-quantum encryption easily. To learn more, visit www.ironcap.ca.