Energy, Cybersecurity Threats and Opportunities in the Quantum Era

On Wednesday, April 6, 2022 QuSecure held a hard-hitting webinar to learn more about the quantum computing threat to energy. We covered existing and emerging cybersecurity threats as well as practical and deployable post-quantum cybersecurity solutions to thwart quantum and classical attacks on our energy systems and infrastructure.

In May of 2021, the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack compromised 45% of consumable fuel on the East Coast. This caused fuel shortages across the Eastern Seaboard, resulting in delayed and cancelled flights, panic buying at fuel stations, and a State of Emergency declared by the Federal Government.

Our energy infrastructure is at risk. Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computers (CRQCs) are gaining power, and they will break our existing public key infrastructure (PKI) which secures over 90% of all sensitive data and electronic communications. Hackers are already harvesting encrypted data which will be decrypted retroactively once CRQCs are available.

The US Department of Energy says, “In today’s highly interconnected world, reliable energy delivery requires cyber-resilient energy delivery systems. In fact, the nation’s security, economic prosperity, and the well-being of our citizens depends on reliable energy infrastructure. As such, a top priority for the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) is to make the nation’s electric power grid and oil and natural gas infrastructure resilient to cyber threats.”

Sensitive data requires secure protection, and every day that data is left unprotected creates further risk and liability. Leaders of our energy ecosystem can act now to protect critical infrastructure and systems from the inevitable quantum threat. Post-quantum cryptography systems, provided by companies such as QuSecure, will be pivotal in providing security from quantum as well as classical threats.

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