The race that follows the US Election: cybersecurity for the post-quantum era

From one race to another

If there is one certainty going into the final days of the US election it’s that whoever wins, either a future Harris or Trump administration, will continue to make huge investments into data and cyber security. 

The 2024 presidential race has brought a great deal of division, debate and contested policy; however, it’s been relatively quiet on the cybersecurity frontline, with both parties likely to pursue similar lines of policy. From reproductive rights to gun laws; America is uniquely staring down the barrel at a common adversary when it comes to cybersecurity. Beyond November 5th, the president elect must rally towards the next race, against AI and the weaponization of the imminent threat of quantum computing.

In Washington D.C., there’s been a noticeable shift as federal, defense and intelligence community officials respond to the wakeup call that there is only a short 3–5-year window to safely secure the magnitude of new and old data before quantum computing and AI will blast open the vault. 

On the one hand as the U.S. continues to push the frontier of change, quantum-computing is expected to bring new opportunities and drive material economic growth across AI, medical and pharmaceutical, and finance sectors. However, policy makers and security experts must keep pace with such technological advancements and leverage cutting-edge technology to secure their own data from emerging threats.

America’s defense in the post-quantum era

While Trump and Harris Administrations differ on specific immigration and foreign policy, when it comes to cybersecurity, both are expected to focus on defending the integrity of the US cyber landscape. This means not only keeping threats out with firewalls and strategies of defense, but looking domestically at the systems and policies in place to effectively protect the trillions of data bytes of sensitive information before they fall into the wrong hands. This will also need to be done hand in hand with securing data within the greater data ecosystem to protect U.S. strategic alliances, supply chains and global collaborative initiatives.

Cyber criminals and rogue nation states are becoming more sophisticated in their cyber attacking efforts, and they are basically warehousing data until they can be unlocked in a “store now, decrypt later” approach. However, with the “later” fast approaching within the next five years, the four-year term of the next US administration marks the critical opportunity to invest in the safeguarding of US data sovereignty and Allied missions. 

Industry innovation

Whilst the last few months have been defined by division and debate, there is productive hope, open-mindedness and collaborative innovation across the cybersecurity industry. 

In the first week of September, as Trump and Harris prepared for their momentous live debate, the greatest cyber experts, NSA and White House officials, policy makers and industry leaders converged at the Billington Cyber Security Summit in Washington, celebrating advancements in zero-trust technology, AI and encouraging public-private collaboration. The following month, on the 16th October, while Trump was in the news in Florida and Harris in Pennsylvania, the best U.S. cyber innovators were at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington at the Google Public Sector Summit. 

Cybersecurity is and will continue to be a priority for all, in either a Harris or Trump Administration. The future of cybersecurity represents an opportunity to unite against a common goal of progressing the U.S. position as a global leader in technology. 

Building mission-enabling technology

In the face of these constantly increasing threats, the White House is proactively encouraging their organizations and agencies to invest in early stage or innovative technologies. Americans are united in their dedication to solving ‘the mission’, and they don’t let politics or budgets or anything get in the way, they find a way to make it happen. 

Qanapi is an emergent company led by a team of security experts with experience delivering FedRAMP® Ready solutions for U.S. Government agencies. In partnership with Google Public Sector and Carahsoft, Qanapi is bringing advanced quantum-resistant encryption solutions to the table. 

Qanapi leverages a quantum-hardened API to achieve something the White House calls ‘crypto-agility’, safeguarding highly-regulated new and old ‘legacy’ data against threats known and emerging. 

As dedicated mission-enablers ready to serve, Qanapi is gaining momentum, already garnering attention from three-letter security agencies, White House officials and endorsement from the Quad Investors Network, an association focused on investing in critical and emerging technologies for joint international advancement. 

Rallying for the task ahead

In Washington now, the feeling in the room is that with the US election nearing the finish line, the president-elect must be ready to rally at the start line of the next race. With cyber threats increasing and the timeframe to do something about it increasingly narrowing, the task ahead is focused on re-encrypting and securing data.

The clock is ticking, and the next U.S. government—whether Democrat or Republican—will face a critical issue in data security. The good news is that the cyber industry is already providing solutions, and America is eager to get ahead.