Power Operators Must Plan Now for Four Quantum Attacks

The U.S. government is increasingly concerned about the potential for quantum computing-based attacks. In June, the White House signed the “Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks” executive order to support critical infrastructure, including energy, in preparing for this new threat landscape. What makes this threat so concerning is that cryptographically-relevant quantum computers will be able to break the public key cryptography that underpins nearly everything that keeps a power plant or utility secure, ranging from encrypted…