Security & Compliance

Quantum Cybersecurity

Quantum cybersecurity spans both the risk quantum computing poses to existing systems and the quantum-based tools now emerging to defend them. The legal work sits squarely in the first category.

Two distinct risks, one governance programme

The first risk is direct: a sufficiently advanced quantum computer could eventually break the encryption much of today's digital infrastructure relies on. The second is more immediate: data intercepted and stored today can be decrypted later once that capability matures — the "harvest now, decrypt later" problem. Both risks point to the same governance response: inventory your cryptographic exposure, prioritise by data sensitivity and retention period, and build a phased migration plan with contractual and board-level accountability behind it.

Where legal counsel adds value

A quantum cybersecurity programme is ultimately a technical undertaking, but its legal dimensions determine whether it holds up under scrutiny: documenting risk assessments defensibly, updating vendor and cloud contracts to require quantum-safe commitments, aligning the migration timeline with sector-specific regulatory mandates, and ensuring incident-response and breach-notification policies account for quantum-era risk.

Learn more

See our full quantum cybersecurity & cryptography practice page, or read our Knowledge Center piece on building a quantum-safe cybersecurity programme.