In an era where data security is paramount, the recent revelations about firmware backdoors implanted by Chinese government-backed hackers serve as a stark reminder of the evolving threat landscape. BlackTech is infiltrating routers to gain undetectable backdoor access to the networks of companies in the US and Japan. This incident underscores the vulnerabilities in our digital infrastructure, specifically the risk that data takes when being transmitted across unknown and often adversarial networks. Data transmission itself is inherently vulnerable due to Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL), a threat that is relevant and imminent. To secure data today from the risks of tomorrow, organizations need to take proactive measures in securing data against quantum risks. In the HNDL strategy, malicious actors are collecting and storing encrypted data with the intention of decrypting it later, either by capitalizing on advancements in today’s computers and new cryptographic attacks or by utilizing future quantum computers capable of breaking our current encryption standards. Given the sensitive nature of the data—from personally identifiable information to state secrets that must remain confidential for years or even decades—the potential for breaking encryption through current or future advancements creates a looming threat that should not be taken lightly. What type of data is at risk? All of it. There is data with tremendous and obvious long-term value, such as DNA or other genetic data, weapons data, and intellectual property. The first to break cryptography will “benefit” from an unprecedented transfer of intellectual capital and associated wealth related to the data.
Full opinion : Quantum risk is real now: How to navigate the evolving data harvesting threat.
