IBM has launched a free online course on quantum-safe cryptography on its Quantum Learning platform. The course, created by Michael Maximilien and Jennifer Janechek, is designed for developers interested in enhancing application security. It covers four core areas of cryptography: cryptographic hash functions, symmetric key cryptography, asymmetric key cryptography, and quantum-safe cryptography. The course aims to educate developers on the evolving cybersecurity risks in the quantum era and how to mitigate at-risk cryptography within their applications. It also includes interactive live code examples and multimodal lessons.
Introduction to Quantum-Safe Cryptography Course
This course is designed for developers interested in enhancing their application security. It provides a comprehensive introduction to four core areas of cryptography: cryptographic hash functions, symmetric key cryptography, asymmetric key cryptography, and quantum-safe cryptography. The course educates developers on the evolving cybersecurity risk landscape in the quantum era and offers practical steps to mitigate at-risk cryptography within their applications.
The Importance of Quantum-Safe Cryptography
Cryptography is a critical line of defence in our modern digital world. It secures our online banking applications, healthcare records, e-commerce transactions, and electronic messaging systems. As quantum computing technology matures, new methods of maintaining trust and security will need to be developed.
Quantum Computing and Cybersecurity
Quantum computers, once fully developed, will be able to solve complex mathematical problems more rapidly than classical computers. This means that most of today’s cryptography, which relies on the difficulty of mathematical problems like discrete logarithm and prime factorization, will become obsolete as these devices advance in scale, quality, and speed. Two quantum algorithms, Shor’s algorithm and Grover’s algorithm, present challenges to the most widely used encryption algorithms. The timeline for a cryptographically relevant quantum computer is unknown, but there is a risk that cybercriminals might already be using “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks to steal and store data until they can decrypt it.
Transitioning to Quantum-Safe Cryptography
To address the challenges posed by quantum computing, governments and regulatory bodies around the world have begun establishing guidelines for transitioning to “quantum-safe cryptography,” cryptographic algorithms and protocols that are better able to withstand classical and quantum cyberattacks. Organizations such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States are directing formal standardization processes for the new quantum-safe algorithms. However, developers should not wait until the standards are published to build competency in quantum-safe cryptography. The ability to identify at-risk cryptography and mitigate it with quantum-safe alternatives will be key for managing the security of applications with agility.
Course Overview and Future Developments
The course is divided into five modules, each of which features a combination of slides, text, and hands-on coding examples. Learners have the option to explore the mathematics underpinning the encryption algorithms or to save the math for future investigations if they are looking to understand the core concepts without the theoretical details. The course concludes with a series of next steps that provide developers with concrete actions they can take today to begin applying their knowledge and exploring quantum-safe technologies. Future versions of the course will include a short quiz at the end of each module to test the learner’s understanding of the content and strengthen their confidence in their ability to mitigate quantum vulnerabilities in source code.
“Practical introduction to quantum-safe cryptography is a free online course on the IBM Quantum Learning platform and serves as a primer on the foundational concepts in quantum-safe cryptography. This course was created for developers who are interested in modernizing their application security and features multimodal lessons and interactive live code examples in four core areas of cryptography: cryptographic hash functions, symmetric key cryptography, asymmetric key cryptography, and quantum-safe cryptography. By taking this course, developers will learn how the cybersecurity risk landscape is evolving in the quantum era and steps they can take today to mitigate at-risk cryptography within their applications.” – Michael Maximilien, Jennifer Janechek
“Our modern digital world depends on cryptography as a critical line of defense. Cryptography secures our online banking applications, healthcare records, e-commerce transactions, and electronic messaging systems. All of our digital interactions with these systems are based on trust – trust that our interactions are secured. However, as quantum computing technology matures, we will have to develop new ways of safeguarding that trust and security.” – Michael Maximilien, Jennifer Janechek
“Every enterprise developer needs to understand the ways in which quantum technology creates new cybersecurity demands and to build skills in quantum-safe cryptography. With its multimodal lessons and interactive coding examples, Practical introduction to quantum-safe cryptography offers a dynamic approach to learning the basics of quantum-safe cryptography and the keys to applying the new cryptographic schemes with agility. Establishing competency in quantum-safe cryptography now will equip developers not only to protect their applications from “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks, but also to address potential quantum cyberattacks in the future without disrupting business operations or expending resources unnecessarily.” – Michael Maximilien, Jennifer Janechek
Summary
Quantum computing technology’s maturation necessitates new methods of safeguarding digital security, as mature quantum computers could solve complex mathematical problems more rapidly than classical computers, rendering current cryptography obsolete. To address this, a free online course on quantum-safe cryptography has been developed, aiming to equip developers with the knowledge to identify at-risk cryptography and mitigate it with quantum-safe alternatives, thus managing the security of applications effectively.
- IBM Quantum Learning platform has launched a free online course on quantum-safe cryptography, aimed at developers interested in enhancing application security.
- The course covers four core areas of cryptography: cryptographic hash functions, symmetric key cryptography, asymmetric key cryptography, and quantum-safe cryptography.
- The course was created by Michael Maximilien and Jennifer Janechek.
- Quantum computing technology, as it matures, could potentially break most of today’s cryptography, which relies on complex mathematical problems.
- Two quantum algorithms, Shor’s algorithm and Grover’s algorithm, pose challenges to widely used encryption algorithms.
- The timeline for a quantum computer capable of breaking current encryption is unknown, but there are concerns about “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks where data is stolen and stored until it can be decrypted.
- Governments and regulatory bodies are establishing guidelines for transitioning to quantum-safe cryptography, which can withstand both classical and quantum cyberattacks.
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States is leading the standardization process for new quantum-safe algorithms.
- The course also covers the NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization project and the new quantum-safe Kyber algorithms.
- Developers are encouraged to start learning about quantum-safe cryptography now to protect their applications from potential future quantum cyberattacks.
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