Risk Crystallized

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in December 1991, we no longer had the Cold War as an organizing principle of mutual defence. As a result, military capabilities around the world fell into disrepair. We are now feeling the full weight of that lengthy neglect.

Likewise, in the world of commercial cryptography over the past few decades, without the weight of the quantum threat as an organizing principle, classical hardware security modules (HSMs) began to atrophy.

Thankfully, the threat of a special purpose cryptographically-relevant quantum computer was taken seriously from a theoretical and academic perspective. Peter Shor contemplated the implications that this new and powerful technology would have on computer security. In 1994 he developed a quantum algorithm for finding the prime factors of an integer, compromising a key ingredient in today's Internet security. Clever mathematical methods that have been around since the 1980's were rediscovered in an attempt to address the implications of Shor's algorithm.
Who doesn't love the 80s!

Unfortunately, few industry players were keeping pace within their product offerings to address this threat. Most decided to wait until the risk became more widely recognized. Even then, the majority continued waiting for mitigating cryptographic algorithms to not only be developed, but also ratified by standards bodies, before taking action. Delay is very costly, especially in the world of hardware-based cryptography where deployments are complex and time consuming.

When digital risks do crystallize the damage can be immediate and catastrophic, especially within critical infrastructures underpinning digital privacy and trust.

The thoughts of others:

Were light and fleeting,
Of lovers' meeting
Or luck or fame.
Mine were of trouble,
And mine were steady;
So I was ready
When trouble came.

[ A.E. Housman, A Shropshire Lad ]

Prudence is a reflective virtue, manifesting itself in proactivity. The engineers at Crypto4A had the wisdom and foresight to start early and in earnest and their design choices have been validated in the marketplace. Today they have the world's first quantum-safe HSM as the foundation of a unified platform of quantum-safe solutions that protect keys, identities, and secrets across modern and post-quantum infrastructures.

If you are planning an upgrade to existing cryptographic infrastructures or deploying new systems, Crypto4A would love to hear from you and help out on your journey toward a quantum-safe future.

Crypto4A is a Canadian cybersecurity company pioneering quantum-safe hardware security modules (HSMs) and infrastructure solutions designed to safeguard the digital world today and tomorrow. Trusted by enterprises, governments, and infrastructure providers across the globe, we specialize in crypto-agility, scalability, portability, and post-quantum cryptography.