Deloitte Provides Security Guidance for Quantum Computing

⇨ As quantum computing capabilities have advanced, experts now see potential for systemic cybersecurity risk.

⇨ Deloitte has partnered with the World Economic Forum to lay out a roadmap of best practices for the quantum computing age.

⇨ The Quantum Readiness Toolkit features five principles businesses and organizations should follow when building their quantum security readiness.

As the technological capabilities that organizations have access to expand, so do the potential cybersecurity threats within those new opportunities. One area of particular concern is quantum computing. As its capabilities have advanced, experts now see potential for systemic cybersecurity risk.

To help companies stem the tide of new risks, Deloitte has partnered with the World Economic Forum to lay out a roadmap of best practices for the quantum computing age. This paper offers organizations guidance and best practices to follow as they build and install their quantum security readiness protocols.

Quantum Risks

Though quantum computing has significant promise for revolutionizing the way business is done, companies must ensure that the potential pitfalls do not outweigh those positives. Per Deloitte, these advancements could incite additional risk through:

• increased breaches of personally identifiable information, such as health and financial data
• digital forgeries of sensitive data and personal data
• compromised personal messages and other communications

“It is essential that organizations across industries and geographies work together to help mitigate emerging risks and collectively build a more cyber secure future. Deloitte is committed to collaborating on important issues such as managing quantum risk and we are grateful to the World Economic Forum for such a strong collaboration on this and other topics,” said Isaac Kohn, Partner and Deloitte co-lead for WEF Quantum Security support.

Five Principals

To lay out a roadmap for organizations to follow on their path to being fully prepared for quantum computing security, Deloitte and the WEF collaborated to produce the new paper, “Quantum Readiness Toolkit: Building a Quantum Secure Economy.” This publication features five principles businesses and organizations should follow when building their quantum security readiness. These include:

1. Governance – It is vital that organizations structure themselves properly to avoid any gaps in their quantum cyber readiness program. Companies should have clearly defined roles and responsibilities for all members of the team. To enforce this change, leadership must buy into the program fully and ensure that all members adhere to their roles.
2. Awareness – Quantum threats may be a bit of a blind spot for organizations and their members. Demystifying the threats that organizations face is a key tool in the arsenal against these cyberattacks. Business leaders and risk managers must fully understand the scope of the threat and how they can best prepare themselves to insulate their organizations from risk exposure.
3. Prioritization – In order to mitigate quantum risks, an organization must prioritize fighting them the same way that they prioritize dealing with more common cyber threats. Risk mitigation teams must follow a structured approach to evaluate and manage the threat that they face.
4. Strategic Decisions – Businesses will likely need to leverage new solutions to prepare for the threats they face. Like any emerging technology, organizations will need to prioritize and budget for these new solutions, such as the use of cryptography.
5. Collaboration – Organizations can effectively mitigate the risk of quantum threats by collaborating – not just across internal teams, but with other organizations as well. Helping others identify risks and work out strategies to stay safe can strengthen the overall quantum security landscape.

These insights and more are available in the Quantum Readiness Toolkit paper.