Oct 9, 2018   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Quantum Xchange Addresses Need for National Quantum Initiatives in U.S.

In response to the White House’s National Cyber Strategy released in September, Quantum Xchange, a leading provider of secure communications and unbreakable encryption, urges the U.S. technology industry and law makers to take immediate action and lead the development of quantum-safe defensive solutions for data security.

Quantum computing poses a real threat to the public-key cryptography protocols and the underlying public-key infrastructure (PKI) that keeps data secure today. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has initiated the process to standardize one or more quantum-resistant public-key cryptographic algorithms, however, because PKI is rooted in mathematical equations, quantum computers will be able to crack these codes as well, exposing data in a matter of minutes.

Quantum Xchange asserts that developing a quantum-based defensive strategy for the post-quantum era to secure sensitive communications outside of PKI is integral to protecting national security. To achieve this state, government support must be put into place for further research and the development of a quantum workforce. Legislation to create a 10-year National Quantum Initiative would provide at least $1.3 billion in funding, according to MIT Technology Review. Private-sector executives have, and continue to, stress the importance of such a bill, which would support the creation of a Quantum Consortium and the establishment of Grand Challenges to focus quantum computing research.

“While the industry debates how long it will take a quantum computer to be built, the fact is that data stolen today will have severe consequences when it is decrypted in the future. Our country must invest significant funds in order to advance the research and development of quantum information science and keep pace with other nations, like China, who have state-backed financing,” said John Prisco, CEO of Quantum Xchange. “Companies such as Microsoft, Intel, Google and IBM are focused on this initiative, and hopefully with assistance from the US National Quantum Initiative Act, progress will be made. In the meantime, it is only practical for our country to begin implementing technology that will protect our high-value data from future decryption at the hands of nations who develop quantum computers. The U.S. was slow to adopt AI and now China is ahead in that space – we don’t want to repeat the same mistake.”

Effective data protection in the quantum age will come from the creation and implementation of a quantum-fiber network and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) systems that work in concert with new quantum-resistant ciphers to allow for unbreakable lines of secure communication. These networks will be immune to quantum computing advancements based on the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics whereby photons of light, not bits, are used to physically transfer a shared secret between two entities. Today, provably secure QKD, is a commercially viable technology that can secure the country’s most critical data. Phio by Quantum Xchange is the first and only QKD network in the U.S. It is currently servicing the Northeast Corridor with rapid expansion planned for the remainder of the country.

There is a present day need for companies to begin arming themselves with protection that will keep data-in-transit secure today, tomorrow, and in the age of quantum computing. Implementing QKD as part of a secure data strategy for persistently high-value data, such as schematics for the next-generation jet fighter, or financial algorithms used to make trading decisions, enables organizations to limit their attack surface from thousands of miles of unsecured fiber to a few physically secure data centers along the route, making it more difficult for data to be stolen. On Oct. 9, 2018, Prisco will join industry leaders at the CyberMaryland Conference in Baltimore to discuss how this technology will support the United States in establishing defenses against developments in quantum computing.

About Quantum Xchange

As a provider of unbreakable quantum keys and secure communications, Quantum Xchange gives commercial enterprises and government agencies the ultimate defense to keep high-value assets safe – today, tomorrow, and well into the future. Offering the first and only quantum-secured network in the United States, Quantum Xchange secures the channel for critical communications, enabling organizations to send unbreakable data over any distance using the laws of quantum physics. Leveraging the provably secure communication method, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), and its own exclusive Trusted Node technology for unlimited point-to-point distances, Phio by Quantum Xchange addresses the shortcomings inherent with modern-day encryption: the ability for keys to be intercepted, corrupted or exposed during transmission, and the imminent threat of quantum computers. To learn more about the future of security realized today, visit QuantumXC.com or follow us on Twitter @Quantum_Xchange.