SandboxAQ and the National Cyber Security Center of Bahrain have partnered to deploy AI-powered security across the Kingdom. This initiative will utilize SandboxAQ’s AQtive Guard platform in over 60 ministry environments, modernizing defenses for the post-quantum era. Bahrain is positioned as one of the first nations to operationalize post-quantum protection at a national scale.
Bahrain is proactively addressing future cyber threats by deploying SandboxAQ’s AQtive Guard platform across over 60 government ministry environments. This large-scale implementation aims to modernize defenses against vulnerabilities created by weak encryption and the increasing use of AI agents. The framework prioritizes securing sovereign data, critical infrastructure, and sensitive systems in anticipation of cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) becoming feasible as early as 2029. The nation’s approach recognizes the immediate risk posed by “harvest-now, decrypt-later” attacks, where encrypted data is stolen for future decryption. Bahrain’s commitment extends beyond policy, directly operationalizing technology to maintain a dynamic cybersecurity framework. This allows for rapid adaptation to emerging vulnerabilities and reinforces the Kingdom’s long-term strategy for data protection and economic resilience.
The platform offers comprehensive visibility, assessment, and remediation capabilities to secure systems against current and future threats—including those posed by cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) projected to be feasible by 2029. This is crucial because adversaries are already employing “harvest-now, decrypt-later” attacks, stealing encrypted data for future exploitation. Deployment of AQtive Guard will span over 60 ministry environments within Bahrain, demonstrating a large-scale implementation of post-quantum cybersecurity. This proactive approach safeguards sensitive data like classified communications and national identity records, reinforcing Bahrain’s commitment to secure digital transformation.
“Harvest-Now, Decrypt-Later” Threat & Imminent “Q-Day” Risks
Current encryption methods face a looming threat from potential adversaries employing “harvest-now, decrypt-later” tactics, stealing data now to break the encryption once cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) are available. Experts predict CRQCs could be feasible as early as 2029, but this pre-emptive data collection presents an immediate risk to sensitive information like classified communications and national records. Bahrain is proactively addressing this by modernizing defenses against these evolving cryptographic and quantum computing threats. The Kingdom’s approach centers on securing sovereign data and critical infrastructure, recognizing the scale of potential compromise—including decades of archived sensitive data—from successful decryption.
This initiative involves deploying an AI-powered cybersecurity solution across over 60 ministry environments, enabling visibility and remediation of vulnerabilities. This large-scale implementation aims to establish a dynamic framework for rapid adaptation to emerging threats and maintain a leading position in cyber resilience.
Bahrain is taking a bold and much-needed step by not only setting policy, but by operationalising the technology required to secure the Kingdom against rapidly advancing threats.
Mohammed Aboul-Magd
