The WEF warns that CBDCs could be vulnerable to decryption attacks from emerging quantum computers.
The World Economic Forum (WEF) recently issued a severe warning about the potential susceptibility of central bank digital currency (CBDCs) to quantum computing system decryption assaults.
Quantum computing is largely still in its experimental stages. Numerous proofs-of-concept are available, and several labs assert that they have used quantum systems to resolve custom problems that conventional binary computers were unable to resolve in an acceptable amount of time.
However, most of the time remains until “Q-Day,” the fictitious moment when malevolent actors will be able to use quantum computers to break conventional encryption.
Although encryption risks should impact all industries, the digital assets sector is particularly vulnerable. The WEF claims that this excessive threat has the capacity to “break” CBDCs.
“Central banks must embed cryptographic agility into CBDC systems to defend against quantum cyberattacks targeting payment infrastructure,” the WEF stated in a blog post dated May 21, citing this threat.
“More than 98% of the global economy’s central banks are exploring CBDCs … In parallel, the private sector is pursuing scalable quantum computers that can operate at scale to create $1.3 trillion in value by 2025.”
It’s important to note that scientists cannot agree on when quantum computers will advance to the point where their availability, strength, and use would pose a danger to existing encryption techniques. Forecasts span decades and span only a few years into the future.
In light of this, the WEF distinguished three distinct risks that quantum computing might pose to CBDCs.
First off, the WEF claims that quantum computers might be able to decrypt “in motion encryption,” which would enable malicious parties to intercept transactions in progress.
Identity impersonation is another danger vector mentioned in the blog article. We infer that by identity impersonation, they imply the use of quantum systems to crack encryption safeguarding identity verification systems, allowing spoof identity assets to be introduced.
Lastly, the WEF determined that “harvest now, decrypt later” represents the most frequently mentioned threat posed by quantum computers. As the name suggests, malicious actors use this attack vector to steal encrypted data and store it for subsequent decoding by a quantum machine.
According to this model, before the threat manifests itself, victims may not even be aware that their data has been taken for years or even decades.
The WEF advises that CBDCs be constructed using a process known as “cryptographic agility” to incorporate quantum-proof defenses at their core, reducing or eliminating these vulnerabilities.
As stated by the WEF:
“Cryptographic agility is a capability that provides the ability to orchestrate and rotate cryptographic algorithms based on real-time threats easily and to thwart evolving attack techniques.”