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The strategy known as “Harvest now, decrypt later” poses a new challenge for companies: encrypted information that is currently inaccessible can be intercepted and stored until quantum computing makes it possible to break its protections. SAIMA SYSTEMS warns that the transition to post-quantum cryptography should not wait until that technological capability becomes a reality.

Quantum computing is still in the development phase, but its potential implications for cybersecurity are already forcing companies to look beyond current threats. One of the main concerns is the so-called “Harvest now, decrypt later” strategy, in which cybercriminals intercept and store encrypted information with the aim of decrypting it once they have sufficiently advanced technology.

What if someone were stealing a company's data today with no intention of using it for another ten years?

What would happen if someone were gathering confidential information from a company today with the intention of using it a decade from now? Although this may seem like a scenario straight out of a science fiction movie, it is a threat that cybersecurity experts around the world are already analyzing—one known as “Harvest now, decrypt later.”

What if someone were stealing a company’s data today with no intention of using it for another ten years? Although it may sound like a science-fiction plot, it’s a strategy that’s already causing concern among cybersecurity experts around the world and is known by the following term: “Harvest now, decrypt later.”

Experts explain that, “if information will still be valuable ten years from now, it must also be protected against the threats that will exist ten years from now.”

The “Harvest now, decrypt later” strategy poses a serious problem for companies in their fight against cybercrime.

Criminals may focus on stealing data and storing it rather than using it immediately. Their goal would be to wait until quantum computers reach the processing power needed to decrypt information that is currently well protected.

In the summer, thousands of companies scale back their operations, reorganize their teams, and adopt more flexible work arrangements. But the risk of cyberattacks also rises, because cyberattackers step up their activity due to reduced staff availability; and, above all, because certain corporate protocols are relaxed. This makes the summer vacation period one of the most vulnerable times of the year for corporate cybersecurity.

Staff reductions and the dispersal of teams make the summer months one of the most vulnerable times for companies. SAIMA SYSTEMS advocates moving toward cyber resilience to ensure business continuity even in the event of an attack.

Summer vacation is one of the periods of greatest risk to organizations’ digital security due to reduced staffing, remote work, and the dispersion of teams. Given this scenario, Saima Systems recommends moving beyond traditional cybersecurity toward a cyberresilience model that ensures business continuity even during a cyberattack.