Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is seeking partners from the cybersecurity industry to help commercialise quantum computing research as concerns grow about the technology’s future impact on data security.
“Research centres like ours need partners from the security industry,” Mohammad Hamzah Fauzi, head of BRIN’s Quantum Physics Research Centre, said in an interview. Fauzi said expectations for quantum computing have shifted rapidly in recent years. He recalled attending a conference in France in 2018 where a prominent physicist predicted a useful quantum computer would not emerge within his lifetime. “That prediction is clearly being challenged today, as we continue to make progress in that direction,” he said.
Although quantum computers cannot yet break widely used encryption systems, cybersecurity specialists warn organisations should start preparing now.
The main concern is a tactic known as “harvest now, decrypt later,” in which attackers collect encrypted data today in the expectation that future quantum computers may be able to decode it, Marek Bialoglowy, vice president-director and chief technology officer at PT ITSEC Asia Tbk, said in an interview. “Preparing for the quantum threat needs to start now, rather than waiting until quantum computers can break the encryption systems we rely on,” he said. Bialoglowy said companies should identify where encryption is used, determine which data are most sensitive, and begin planning a transition to post-quantum cryptography. “This migration takes time, so the earlier we prepare, the better positioned we will be to protect our digital assets,” he said.
ITSEC Asia CEO Patrick Dannacher said similar caution should apply to artificial intelligence systems. Companies should treat AI agents like employees and limit their access to information until appropriate controls are in place, he said. “Look at an AI agent as an employee,” Dannacher said. “How much access do you want to grant him or her?” Giving AI systems unrestricted access to company data before understanding how they operate could create security risks, he added.
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