Mainstream quantum computing might be closer than you think, and that makes it a “looming problem” for privacy, according to network services and cybersecurity company Cloudflare (NET+0.67%).
To prepare for this apparent risk, Cloudflare announced on Monday that it is launching post-quantum cryptography, or encryption that can withstand quantum computing technology, for its corporate clients.
Although they’re severely limited today, quantum computers may eventually be able to solve problems that normal computers cannot solve. One such problem may include our commonly used encryption algorithms, which protect sensitive data from prying eyes by scrambling it into an unreadable code that can only be unlocked with a key. That key can’t be broken with regular computers, but it could with quantum, according to Cloudflare chief technology officer John Graham-Cumming.
“There are very small quantum computers today, but at some point there will be one which is capable of breaking the encryption we all use today,” Graham-Cumming told Quartz.
The company has been working with standards bodies to develop the technology for the past eight years. Although quantum computing is yet to be fully realized, scientists have an idea of how it will operate, which helps them design encryption algorithms that could safeguard against it.
In the past year, the National Institute of Standards and Technology declared five standardized algorithms as safe in a post-quantum world, and decided to transition away from conventional, legacy encryption algorithms by 2030.
Cloudflare has included these algorithms in their secure connections. More than 4,000 of the 10,000 most-popular websites globally used Cloudflare in January 2025, and if you ever browse one, chances are it’s being protected by post-quantum cryptography, the company said.
As of Monday’s announcement, the company is making the cryptography available for its Zero Trust products tailored for corporate customers. Starting immediately, Cloudflare said its corporate clients will be able to use post-quantum encryption to protect their HR platforms, corporate signature systems, and keep their employees safe from malicious websites.
The company plans to expand the technology by mid-2025 to its WARP clients, which encrypts all traffic leaving your laptop or desktop.
Tech executives have disagreed on the timeline of when quantum computing will become applicable. Earlier this year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg voiced their lack of trust in quantum computing’s future, with Huang going so far as to say that useful quantum computers are at least 15 to 30 years away.
But not everyone agrees. Intel CEO Arvind Krishna said on Tuesday that he thinks quantum computing will start having real-world applications by 2030, and Microsoft (MSFT+0.15%) co-founder Bill Gates told Yahoo Finance (APO+1.28%) in February that quantum computing could become useful in as soon as three to five years.
In December, Google (GOOGL+0.26%) unveiled its latest quantum chip Willow, which it says will greatly reduce error rates, one of the greatest challenges plaguing the technology’s advancement. And just last month, Microsoft claimed that it had a major breakthrough in quantum computing with its Majorana 1 processor, claiming to make use of a new state of matter.
“You see Microsoft talking about this new chip and think ‘Oh, actually, maybe the five-year scenario is true,’ and then, I have a lot of respect for Jensen, so maybe the 20-year scenario is true,” Graham-Cumming said, adding that no matter when it might be realized, people should start preparing now.
“The risk is very high, and we don’t think it’s in 100 years,” he added. “The algorithms have been tested, this code has been open sourced, NIST has standardized it. No, we’re not too early now.”
Plus, Graham-Cumming pointed out that people could record internet traffic today with the aim to break into it once quantum computing technology catches up, making it an urgent problem for corporations that deal with particularly sensitive data.
“I would say that in the last six months, this has become a real focus for large companies, in particular in the financial services, that are starting to really worry about making sure that their encryption is safe for the day a complicated future exists,” Graham-Cumming said.
The post Cloudflare is already selling security tools for the quantum computing era appeared first on Quartz.
