The National Cybersecurity Agency has published, jointly with its counterpart agencies and European partners, on the initiative of the German BSI, a document that describes and analyzes the scenarios of the transition to post-quantum cryptography. In addition to providing details on the main vulnerabilities and possible precautions to be taken to counter the quantum threat, the document refers to the cooperation activity on post quantum cryptography that is underway at the NIS Cooperation Group in which the ACN participates for Italy together with the other EU agencies.
All Member States of the European Union are invited to actively contribute to the initiatives promoted on this matter within the NIS Cooperation Group, in order to define a shared roadmap for the work.
With an information document published in July 2024, the National Cybersecurity Agency had already underlined the importance of starting this process as soon as possible and the need for cooperation at an international level.
The advent of the quantum computer, in fact, brings with it great innovations in the world of information technology, allowing operations to be carried out that a classical computer is not capable of carrying out. At the same time, some algorithms have been theorized that could allow quantum computers with sufficient power to compromise the security of some of the most widely used cryptographic systems.
For example, online banking services, smart home devices and messaging apps are threatened by the advent of quantum computers. Of particular concern today are so-called “store now, decrypt later” attacks in which an adversary stores encrypted data in the present to decrypt it in the future when a sufficiently powerful quantum computer becomes available.
To overcome this imminent problem, the most internationally recognized solution is to identify all the systems that will be vulnerable and make a transition towards post-quantum algorithms, i.e. resistant to attacks possibly perpetrated using quantum computers.
