Quantum Computing: How to Address the National Security Risk

The Threat to Stored Data 

However, in a profound way the existential threat that a quantum computer poses to 

encryption today is not years away, but already upon us. Nation-states whom we 

consider competitors or adversaries are currently collecting and storing sensitive data 

knowing that they will be able to decrypt this information when a quantum prime 

computer is realized.

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 This means that data not protected prior to Q-Day will be just 

as vulnerable as data not protected afterwards.

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Collection of such data might not be problematic for fields where information that is 

10-20 years old is no longer relevant; however, the intelligence community frequently 

marks information as classified for at least 50 years in order to protect the nation’s 

most important information and personnel assets.

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 There is debate on how soon a 

quantum prime computer will be realized, but experts all agree that it will be within 

50 years—certainly within a time frame in which information that has been harvested 

and stored will have negative effects on the U.S. economy and national security.  

Thankfully, there is a solution to the threat posed by a quantum computer attack, 

namely quantum cybersecurity—and developing and implementing it must be a 

priority. 

21

 Cade Metz, “Building A.I. That Can Build A.I.,” New York Times, November 5, 2017, 

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/05/technology/machine-learning-artificial-intelligence-ai.html. 

22

 Scott Totzke, “IoT and the Quantum Threat. What To Do?,” ITSP Magazine, June 28, 2017 

https://www.itspmagazine.com/from-the-newsroom/iot-and-the-quantum-threat-what-to-do 

23

 John Breeden. “Tomorrow’s Quantum Computers Are Already Threatening Today’s Data,” Defense 

One, July 10, 2018, https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2018/07/future-quantum-computers-

already-threatening-todays-data/149557/. 

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 Meredith Rutland Bauer, “Quantum Computing Is Coming for Your Data,” Wired, July 19, 2017, 

https://www.wired.com/story/quantum-computing-is-coming-for-your-data/. 

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 Exec. Order No. 13526, 3 C.F.R. 13526 (2009), https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2010-title3-

vol1/pdf/CFR-2010-title3-vol1-eo13526.pdf. 

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Quantum Computing: How to Address the National Security Risk 

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