A Security Assessment tool for Quantum Threat Analysis

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum threat assessment tool designed to help organizations identify vulnerabilities in their security protocols and plan effective transitions to quantum-resistant cryptography, addressing imminent quantum computing risks.

Contribution

The work presents a novel, systematic quantum assessment tool with tailored recommendations, validated through expert feedback, to aid organizations in securing their systems against quantum threats.

Findings

The tool effectively identifies cryptographic vulnerabilities.

Expert feedback improved tool accuracy and usability.

The tool is publicly available for organizational use.

Abstract

The rapid advancement of quantum computing poses a significant threat to many current security algorithms used for secure communication, digital authentication, and information encryption. A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could potentially exploit vulnerabilities in these algorithms, rendering data in transit insecure. This threat is expected to materialize within the next 20 years. Immediate transition to quantum-resilient cryptographic schemes is crucial, primarily to mitigate store-now-decrypt-later attacks and to ensure the security of products with decade-long operational lives. This transition requires a systematic approach to identifying and upgrading vulnerable cryptographic implementations. This work developed a quantum assessment tool for organizations, providing tailored recommendations for transitioning their security protocols into a post-quantum world. The work included a systematic evaluation of the proposed solution using qualitative feedback from network administrators and cybersecurity experts. This feedback was used to refine the accuracy and usability of the assessment process. The results demonstrate its effectiveness and usefulness in helping organizations prepare for quantum computing threats. The assessment tool is publicly available at (https://quantum-watch.soton.ac.uk).