Harvest Now, Decrypt Later: Why the Quantum Future Demands Crypto Agility Today
- Sai Sravan Cherukuri
- Jul 12
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 12
Quantum computers are real, and they are becoming increasingly practical every day. These machines are poised to reshape industries, unlock medical breakthroughs, and, unfortunately, crack the very foundation of the encryption that protects our digital lives.
Unlike traditional computers, which process information one step at a time, quantum systems utilize principles such as superposition and entanglement to explore multiple solutions simultaneously. Problems that would take today's fastest supercomputers thousands of years could be solved in hours or minutes with a quantum machine.
This is groundbreaking for science and innovation, but it is deeply troubling for cybersecurity.
The Threat Is Real: Harvest Now, Decrypt Later
Four words should concern every IT leader, CISO, and enterprise architect:
Harvest now, decrypt later.
This is not science fiction. Adversaries are already capturing encrypted data today with the expectation that they will be able to decrypt it tomorrow using quantum technology. The strategy is simple: steal sensitive information now and store it. Once quantum computers reach sufficient power, they can efficiently retrieve and decrypt data.
This creates a serious risk for any data with long-term value, including:
National security communications
Personally identifiable information (PII)
Intellectual property and trade secrets
Financial transactions and banking records
Healthcare and medical data
Blockchain assets and smart contracts
If your organization handles any data expected to remain sensitive for 5, 10, or even 20 years, it is already a target.
Why Modern Cryptography Is on Borrowed Time
Today's encryption works because specific mathematical problems are intractable for classical computers to solve. Examples include:
Symmetric encryption (like AES), which relies on large, random keys
Asymmetric encryption (like RSA or ECC), based on factoring large primes or solving elliptic curve problems
Quantum computing changes this.
Grover's Algorithm weakens symmetric encryption by reducing its adequate key strength. For example, AES-128 becomes as secure as AES-64.
Shor's Algorithm completely breaks asymmetric cryptography, solving problems like RSA factorization in polynomial time.
This means that:
RSA-2048 can be broken
Digital signatures can be forged
Secure bank transactions can be manipulated
Government secrets can be exposed
Trust in digital systems can collapse
The digital infrastructure we depend on every day is at risk, and the timeline is not decades away.
Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC): A New Hope
Thankfully, cryptographers have been preparing for this moment. Since 2016, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been leading an international effort to identify and standardize quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms.
In 2024, NIST announced four finalists that are built on quantum-resilient math, such as lattice-based cryptography. These algorithms are designed to withstand quantum attacks and, most importantly, run efficiently on existing classical hardware.
A few major organizations and open-source contributors have already begun integrating these next-generation algorithms into real-world systems.
You don't need a quantum computer to be quantum-safe. You need to start preparing now.
Crypto Agility Is the Goal
Organizations should not respond with panic. Instead, they need to adopt crypto agility, the ability to quickly discover, update, and replace cryptographic systems as threats evolve.
A practical three-step strategy includes:
1. Discover: Understand What You Have
Start by gaining visibility. You cannot protect what you cannot see.
Perform a cryptographic inventory of applications, systems, and communication protocols.
Use automated tools to scan source code, network flows, and configurations.
Build a Cryptographic Bill of Materials (CBOM) to track algorithm types, key lengths, and certificate usage.
A central global bank found over 4,000 apps using encryption, most of which were undocumented. Manual discovery is not scalable.
2. Manage: Build a Risk-Aligned Roadmap
Create a strategic transition plan.
Set internal policies for key management and algorithm usage.
Identify and prioritize high-risk systems that store long-lived or sensitive data.
Establish governance and metrics to track transformation over time.
3. Remediate: Transition to Quantum-Safe Algorithms
Begin the gradual but essential migration.
Replace vulnerable encryption with NIST-recommended quantum-safe algorithms.
Use crypto proxy layers to shield legacy systems during the transition period.
Validate performance to ensure security improvements do not harm usability or latency.
You Can Start Today
You do not need to wait for quantum hardware to begin your journey toward quantum safety. Every organization can take action now by utilizing existing tools and technologies.
What you do need is:
Executive support
Cryptography experts or trusted partners
A risk-informed migration plan
A culture that values proactive security
There Will Be No Countdown
The quantum era will not arrive with a red blinking warning light. There will be no "Y2K moment" to mark the change. Instead, it will sneak in, and the cryptography you rely on might suddenly become ineffective without warning.
You don't need a time machine to prepare for it.You need foresight, agility, and action.
Final Thought
Start discovering.Start planning.Start transforming.
Because the harvest has already begun. Let's make sure what they reap can never be decrypted.
About the author:
Sai Sravan Cherukuri, as the inventor of two innovative platforms submitted to NIST, is at the forefront of securing enterprise systems against the emerging quantum threat.
The Comprehensive Algorithm Risk Assessment Platform (CARA) revolutionizes cryptographic risk management by delivering automated, enterprise-grade post-quantum readiness. CARA enables precise risk assessment, migration planning, and federal compliance integration while implementing NIST's standardized PQC algorithms for practical, scalable security.
The Migration Orchestrator & Playbook Engine (MOPE) operationalizes NIST's FIPS 203–205 standards through AI-powered cryptographic asset discovery with 98.5% accuracy and automated deployment of leading PQC algorithms, including CRYSTALS-Kyber, Dilithium, FALCON, and SPHINCS+. MOPE bridges standards and real-world enterprise cryptography with seamless automation at scale.
