Q-Day is bad actors monetizing what they’re stealing today.
It’s no longer a threat at that point; it’s tangible damage.
I normally turn one conversation into one article, but Certes gave me ideas for three distinct dragons. It would be a disservice to you, dear reader, to shove them all into one article, so please enjoy this three-part series.
Given time, the term “Q-Day” might surpass the word “run” as having more definitions than any other term. According to Oxford English Dictionary’s latest edition, the word “run” has 645 distinct meanings. Although I haven’t counted every definition of “Q-Day,” it sure feels like the industry is trying to break the record.
The Quantum Dragon decided that he wanted to determine for himself when the threat becomes real. He cracked one of my databases, which I don’t appreciate, but I like having eyebrows, and he started selling my data. I’m actually more upset that he’s having better luck with that than I’ve had, but then he reminded me why he did it in the first place. It was a problem, sure, when he cracked my database, it was a bigger problem when he decrypted it (he’s quantum, after all), but the real problem is that he then exposed it to the world and began monetizing it.
This reminded me of a conversation I had with Simon Pamplin, CTO at Certes. We speak of “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” (HNDL), but your data is still secure at this point. We also speak of the day when a cryptographically relevant quantum computer will change that. But Mr. Pamplin’s definition of “Q-Day” is when the bad actors actually start monetizing it. It’s no longer a threat at that point; it’s tangible damage.
Of all the “Q-Day” definitions we’ve encountered, this one’s clearly the worst. Realistically, your data has already been stolen, and you just haven’t felt the pain yet. The Certes definition brings the pain.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go find a flattened cardboard box to sleep on.
Certes’ CTO, Simon Pamplin, will be speaking at PQC+IQT, which is coming to New York City October 25-26.
