By Sarah Sloan,
Publication Date: 2026-10-15 22:00:00
Encryption is a quiet foundation of digital trust. It protects government services, financial transactions, critical infrastructure, healthcare records, software updates and digital identities. But that foundation is approaching a major transition.
Cryptographically relevant quantum computers could break many public-key cryptographic systems used today – with some in Industry estimating this could happen as early as 2029.
The risk begins before those computers arrive: adversaries can already collect encrypted data now and decrypt it later, an approach known as “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later.” A related “Trust Now, Forge Later” risk could undermine future confidence in digital signatures executed today to validate software, firmware, certificates, business agreements, and transactional records.
Figure: Australian Cyber Security Centre – Planning for post-quantum cryptography
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) addresses these risks with algorithms designed to withstand…