IBM and technology services company NCS have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to jointly develop and provide quantum-secure, privacy-enhancing services for public authorities and businesses in Singapore. The partnership comes at a time when, in the future, data protected by public-key cryptography may be decrypted by capable quantum computers.
According to the companies, the agreement aims to support organizations in Singapore with quantum-secure encryption to secure current data from potential quantum-enabled attacks in the future. Both parties are committed to providing professional services, technical solutions, and strategic expertise for cybersecurity protection.
Additionally, IBM and NCS co-authored a white paper titled “Managing Risks and Opportunities for Quantum-Safe Development.” This paper provides a comprehensive guide for organizations to advance their quantum security efforts and highlights the vulnerability of current encryption technologies to “harvest now, decrypt later” threats. . These threats calculate that an attacker could steal encrypted files now and store them until more advanced quantum computers emerge in the future.
Colin Tan, general manager and technology leader of IBM Singapore, highlighted IBM’s long-standing leadership position in developing quantum safety technology. “At IBM, we are proud to be a leader in the development of quantum safety technology,” he said. “We have played a key role in the development of quantum-safe algorithms currently being evaluated by the U.S. government’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
“Some of our latest enterprise infrastructure systems are already equipped with quantum-secure cryptography to help organizations stay ahead of emerging threats,” Tan added.
Mr Tan welcomed the MOU with NCS, a well-known company in the Asia-Pacific region, and expressed enthusiasm for helping Singapore organizations protect their data and update their crypto for the quantum era. .
Commenting on the need to address quantum safety, Foo Siang-tse, NCS Senior Partner, Cyber, said: We strongly believe that the time has come for organizations to embark on the journey to quantum safety. ”
Mr. Siang-tse emphasized the importance of this partnership with a leader in quantum safety technology like IBM, and said NCS’ expertise in helping organizations plan and execute remediation strategies and transform enterprise security posture, processes, and governance. He expressed his hope that the knowledge would be put to use. The future of quantum.
According to the white paper, systems currently in use in sectors such as energy, transportation, finance and government infrastructure have product lifespans of 15 to 30 years, with even longer requirements for data protection and privacy. As quantum computing technology advances rapidly, organizations will need to migrate many cryptographic systems to quantum-secure solutions. However, many organizations still do not have clear insight into the encryption technologies used in their current IT operations. Therefore, we believe it is important to begin assessing and transitioning to quantum-safe security.