Post Quantum Migration - Whats the crack? - Dr. Syed Zia

Abstract:
- Are current cryptosystems already cracked?
- How deadly is the Quantum threat?
- Do we need Quantum computers to run Quantum secure cryptographic algorithms?
- Do we really need to migrate to Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) ?
- What is the guarantee that PQC is secure?
- What would happen if we don't migrate to PQC?

The aforementioned questions are only a few of many concerns that most of organizations have. With rapid evolution of Quantum computers and the recent standardization of PQC algorithms by NIST, quantum threat is appearing sooner than predicted.

Most organizations are neither aware of the ongoing PQC migration efforts, nor the new studies claiming to have broken PQC. The current situation is tricky for everyone as PQC has not been well tested when compared to classical cryptographic schemes that have been around for years. On one hand there is the concern 'what is the backup plan if PQC gets broken after everyone has migrated to it?'. On the other hand, if the organizations choose not to migrate to PQC there is an increased risk of becoming a victim of a 'Harvest Now Decrypt Later' attack.

This talk aims to provide the audience with the latest update on PQC standardization, PQC readiness, Quantum threat severity and the reality of claims behind broken PQC algorithms. We will also discuss best security practices and approaches to make the PQC migration journey safe and successful.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. Syed Zia; Sr Security Engineer at CME Group
Dr. Zia is a Senior Security Engineer (Crypto) in Cyber Defence Engineering at CME Group. His cybersecurity experiences ranges across industry and academia. He has authored several patents and research papers focused on improving cryptographic methods in intelligent systems. He holds a PhD from Ulster University with specialization in improving cryptographic solutions. He is a certified cyber security analyst and cybersecurity professional with areas of expertise including information security management, data privacy and protection, cryptography, zero knowledge proofs, threat analysis and risk assessment.

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