A single day with 4 breakthrough quantum tech developments - each with the potential to accelerate the arrival of Q-Day.
That’s exactly what happened on Sept 24–25.
I break it all down in the first issue of The Quantum Observer: https://quantumobserver.com/p/quantums-wild-week
#QuantumComputing #PQC #QDay #PostQuantum #QuantumReadiness #QuantumResilience
Boards do not need to dive into the scientific intricacies of qubits and algorithms, but they do need to recognize that this is a strategically important risk – one that can’t be simply delegated away. It requires the same level of governance attention as other enterprise-level risks like financial compliance, geopolitical factors, or pandemic preparedness. The comforting news is that if organizations act early, the quantum threat can be managed. Think of the proactive stance many companies took with Y2K in the late 1990s – those who started early averted disaster. Similarly here, those who begin preparing for quantum now
A cryptographic inventory is essentially a complete map of all cryptography used in an organization’s systems – and it is vital for understanding quantum-vulnerable assets and planning remediation. In theory it sounds straightforward: “list all your cryptography.” In practice, however, building a full cryptographic inventory is an extremely complex, lengthy endeavor. Many enterprises find that even identifying all their IT assets is challenging, let alone uncovering every cryptographic component hidden within those assets. Cryptography often lurks in multiple layers of hardware, software, and firmware, making it difficult to spot. Despite the difficulty, performing a thorough inventory is strongly recommended (or
The energy requirements for breaking RSA-2048 with a quantum computer underscore how different the post-quantum threat is from conventional hacking. It’s not just about qubits and math; it’s about megawatts, cooling systems, and power grids. Today, that reality means only the most potent actors would even contemplate such attacks, and even then only for the crown jewels of intelligence. Tomorrow, advances in both quantum engineering and energy production could erode even that barrier. The enormous costs – in dollars and joules – of quantum cryptanalysis serve as a stark warning and a call to action. They buy us time to
As the world edges closer to the era of powerful quantum computers, experts warn of an approaching “Q-Day” (sometimes called Y2Q or the Quantum Apocalypse): the day a cryptographically relevant quantum computer can break our current encryption. Unlike the Y2K bug—which had a fixed deadline and was mostly defused before the clock struck midnight—Q-Day won’t announce itself with a clear date or time. We won’t see computers suddenly crash or planes fall from the sky at a stroke of midnight. Instead, when quantum code-breaking arrives, the world might not notice anything visibly “wrong” at first. Websites will still load, apps
Boards do not need to dive into the scientific intricacies of qubits and algorithms, but they do need to recognize that this is a strategically important risk – one that can’t be simply delegated away. It requires the same level of governance attention as other enterprise-level risks like financial compliance, geopolitical factors, or pandemic preparedness. The comforting news is that if organizations act early, the quantum threat can be managed. Think of the proactive stance many companies took with Y2K in the late 1990s – those who started early averted disaster. Similarly here, those who begin preparing for quantum now
On June 23, 2025 The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre) has issued a new roadmap for migrating the Government of Canada’s IT systems to post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Effective June 23, 2025, this guidance, 'Roadmap for the migration to post-quantum cryptography for the Government of Canada (ITSM.40.001)' lays out clear deadlines and expectations for all federal departments and agencies to transition their cryptographic systems to quantum-safe standards. It applies across non-classified federal IT systems, covering all Government of Canada networks handling UNCLASSIFIED, Protected A, and Protected B information (systems managing classified or Protected C data are addressed separately). The goal
On July 2, 2025, the European Commission unveiled the Quantum Europe Strategy – a comprehensive roadmap to transform Europe into a “quantum industrial powerhouse” and global leader in quantum technologies by 2030. This strategy arrives at a pivotal moment: quantum computing, communication, and sensing are advancing from lab experiments to real-world applications, promising breakthroughs from ultra-secure communications to revolutionary medical imaging.
I recently spoke with Cybercrime Radio about the growing quantum computing threat. Theresa Payton, the former White House CIO, joined in and drew comparisons to the Y2K bug, noting that coordinated and early efforts can save us from bigger crises.
Marin Ivezic
Fali Fuentes