Concept: Australian cybersecurity specialist Senetas, in partnership with American cybersecurity solutions provider Thales, has launched the first-ever quantum-resistant network encryption solution. The solution can ostensibly protect government and business network data (at speeds up to 100 Gbps) against a cryptanalytic attack by a quantum computer.

Nature of Disruption: The network encryption solution leverages high-assurance, high-speed network encryptors to integrate Quantum Resistant Encryption (QRE) with conventional encryption security. It backs the quantum encryption algorithms selected by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which are scheduled to be standardized by 2022. It also supports the current European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI) quantum key distribution standards, which is a security capability with applications in 5G networks. The firm’s network encryption capabilities provide traditional security and quantum-resistant encryption in a single solution. Senetas’s current and future clients can use it through the firm’s crypto-agile encryption platforms.

Outlook: Governments and businesses across the globe rely on conventional encryption systems to protect data like private citizen information, defense and business secrets, intellectual property, and access to national infrastructure control systems. Decrypting conventionally encrypted data would take a significant amount of time, even for powerful computers. However, quantum computing uses quantum mechanics principles to perform calculations at very high speeds and can decrypt the same data within a few seconds. Therefore, the introduction of the first practical quantum computer outside the laboratory environment would increase the vulnerability of sensitive information across public and private networks. Senetas aims to provide a network encryption solution that would enable governments and organizations to implement quantum-resistant encryption into their existing strategies, resulting in long-term protection against data breaches. The solution would be available directly to clients across Australia and New Zealand and to international clients via Thales.

This article was originally published in Verdict.co.uk