3 hrs ago
Banks Prepare for Quantum Computing’s Future Encryption Threat
Banks use special codes to keep digital information private and safe.
A powerful future quantum computer might be able to break some of the codes used today.
Experts do not know exactly when such a computer will be ready.
Some attackers may be saving encrypted information now and hoping to read it later.
That is why banks are being asked to prepare before the danger arrives.
They need to find where older codes are used and test stronger, quantum-resistant ones.
India’s plans set steps for banks and other critical services to begin this work.
The goal is to protect financial information while also developing useful quantum technology.
Quantum computers could eventually break some public-key cryptography used to protect financial systems, though no arrival date is certain.
India’s RBI and SEBI have introduced measures to strengthen cyber and technology resilience across banks and market infrastructure.
Experts warn that attackers may already be collecting encrypted data to decrypt later, making long-lived confidential information a concern.
Banks are urged to inventory vulnerable cryptography, test post-quantum algorithms and build crypto-agility into complex systems.
India’s roadmap targets foundational work by 2027, high-priority system migration by 2028 and full post-quantum adoption by 2029 in critical sectors.
- Who
- Indian banks and other financial institutions, with regulators and government agencies planning preparations.
- What
- Preparing financial systems to transition to post-quantum cryptography and improve cyber resilience.
- Where
- India, within a global effort to prepare financial systems for quantum-related cryptographic risks.
- When
- Preparatory work is under way; India’s roadmap targets foundational work by 2027, high-priority migration by 2028 and full adoption by 2029 for critical sectors.
- Why
- Sufficiently powerful quantum computers could undermine some public-key encryption, and attackers may store encrypted data now for possible later decryption.
Reasons to prepare early
Limits and uncertainty
How urgent is the quantum threat?
Reasons to prepare early
Experts and policy roadmaps say migration should begin now because systems take time to update and stored encrypted data could be decrypted later.
Limits and uncertainty
The threat has not reached full-scale realisation, current Indian systems are limited and largely under development, and there is no universally agreed date for a cryptographically relevant quantum computer.
What quantum technology means for finance
Reasons to prepare early
Quantum computing could eventually threaten cryptographic protections used for authentication, secure communication, key exchange and digital signatures.
Limits and uncertainty
The article notes that the risk is not that a quantum computer directly hacks a payment system; the concern is its potential to undermine cryptographic building blocks.
Key facts
- Quantum risk
- A sufficiently capable quantum computer could weaken public-key systems such as RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography.
- Harvest Now, Decrypt Later
- Attackers collect encrypted data today with the expectation of decrypting it in the future.
- RBI framework
- Issued in July; addresses IT governance, cyber-risk management and incident response for commercial banks.
- SEBI measure
- Introduced an IT Resilience Index in August for market infrastructure institutions.
- India roadmap
- Critical sectors are slated for foundational work by 2027, high-priority migration by 2028 and full PQC adoption by 2029.
- National Quantum Mission
- Launched in 2023 with an outlay of Rs 6,003.65 crore.
- International measures
- NIST has finalised post-quantum cryptography standards; the EU has called for transition to begin by the end of 2026.
Quotes
Sarthak Dubey
Co-founder and COO of Mitigata, a cyber resilience firm.
“Right now, we are talking about AI threats, right? In a couple of years, we will be talking about cryptographic threats due to quantum computing. We will be talking about a lot of other things that are not even there in the market yet.”
indianexpress.com
“Now, with quantum, and what people call the quantum deadline, is that by 2029 or 2030 the quantum computers would be smart enough to decrypt any of the historical encryptions that are present.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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