Overview
- The G7 Cybersecurity Working Group published a call to action on September 3 urging governments and companies to speed up migration to post‑quantum cryptography because current public‑key systems could be broken by future quantum machines.
- The document, signed by national cyber agencies from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US and backed by the EU Commission and ENISA, sets clear steps: inventory cryptographic assets, prioritize the most critical systems, and adopt phased, risk‑based migration plans.
- It recommends building 'crypto‑agility' so organizations can swap algorithms if flaws appear, and it says PQC should be integrated into procurement, standards and normal replacement cycles to cut transition costs.
- Progress is uneven: some governments and vendors have moved timelines earlier — U.S. agencies to 2030 under a presidential order and firms like Google toward 2029 — while many industries still lag and need coordinated funding and product supply.
- The paper stresses practical risks and next steps: stolen encrypted data can be harvested now for later decryption, blockchain projects are testing post‑quantum signature changes, and governments should fund R&D and public‑private programs to build tools and expertise.