Why CISOs Must Act Now on Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)
Quantum computing threatens today’s mainstream cryptography (RSA/ECC). The most effective step you can take now is a precise cryptographic audit to build a CBOM, assess risk, and plan a PQC migration—before “harvest-now, decrypt-later” becomes your incident report.
We sign a mutual NDA before any document exchange. US-focused delivery with European coverage (GDPR/NIS2).
What’s Changing—and Why It Matters
As practical quantum capabilities emerge, RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC) will no longer provide adequate protection. Long-lived data—IP, telemetry, regulated PII—is exposed to harvest-now, decrypt-later (HNDL) adversaries. Waiting raises migration cost, compliance risk, and downtime.
Start Here: Run a Cryptographic Audit and Build a CBOM
An accurate audit is the foundation of any PQC program. Build a Cryptography Bill of Materials (CBOM) across code, infrastructure, devices, and PKI.
What your CBOM should include
- Algorithms & key sizes (RSA/ECDSA/ECDH, cipher suites, PRNG usage)
- Certificate & PKI profiles (EKU/KU, lifetimes, trust anchors, OCSP/CRL)
- Libraries & dependencies (crypto APIs, defaults, known weak params)
- Embedded/IoT/ECU/meter crypto (secure storage, boot chain, OTA)
Quantify Risk, Then Plan a Staged PQC Migration
Prioritize by impact
- Exposure: internet-facing, supply chain, third-party trust
- Data sensitivity: regulated or safety-critical data
- Change effort: config/library swap vs. protocol/PKI refactor
Migrate pragmatically
- Server-first rollouts with dual-stack periods
- Hybrid cryptography: ECDSA + Dilithium (sign), X25519 + Kyber (KEM)
- Crypto-agility: shorter cert lifetimes, issuer pinning, updateable bootloaders
How SafeCipher Helps
- Cryptographic Audit (CBOM): automated discovery across code, cloud, on-prem, and devices — learn more
- Risk Assessment & Quick Wins: precise fixes you can ship now — included in our audits
- PQC Roadmap & PKI Refresh: policy, profiles, and operations aligned to your estate — Quantum PKI Transition & PKI Services
- HSM & Cloud HSM: architecture, operations, and vendor alignment — Cloud HSM Services, HSM Services, HSM Support, HSM Vendors
- Enterprise PKI Design: hybrid/cloud/OT/IIoT architectures — learn more
Related services & resources
• Cryptographic Audit & CBOM • PKI Services • PKI Design & Architecture (Enterprise, Cloud, Hybrid, OT/IIoT) • Quantum PKI Transition • PKI Cloud HSM Services • HSM Services • HSM Support Services • HSM Vendors
FAQ
What should a CISO do first?
Run a cryptographic audit to build a CBOM, then prioritize by risk and begin a staged PQC migration (server-first, dual-stack, rollback safe).
How long does a PQC migration take?
It depends on scope and legacy debt. Most programs start with discovery and pilots, then phase changes by system and risk.
Do you support on-prem/VPC-only?
Yes—your data stays under your control. We operate fully on-premises or in your private cloud under NDA.
Ready to Get Started?
Begin with a 30-minute introductory call. We’ll align goals, sign a mutual NDA, and propose a scoped, not-to-exceed discovery plan.
Office hours: Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00 UK (01:00–10:00 PT). Response SLA: within 1 business day.