Prescription for Quantum Security: A Cryptographic Bill of Materials

The adage “you can’t manage what you can’t measure” has a cybersecurity analog: You can’t secure what you can’t see. With advanced quantum computing on the horizon, a race is on to take inventory.

At a theoretical but foreseeable moment called Q-Day, quantum systems will be able to break the public key cryptography that safeguards modern communications and commerce.

“For commercial enterprises, a security failure of this magnitude compromises far more than internal infrastructure,” says cybersecurity adviser and author Xander Hamman. “It erodes customer trust, damages brand integrity, and introduces severe operational liability when the validity of digital records, contracts, and software updates can no longer be guaranteed.”

Like others in the field, Hamman believes post-quantum readiness is a matter of urgency, And critical to any organization’s preparations, for visibility into and prioritization of what must be secured, is a Cryptographic Bill of Materials (CBOM).

Xander Hamman

CBOMs effectively move an abstract future concern into the here and now. They provide evidence for risk registers, control assessments, vendor due...