Bipartisan Bill Targets Cyber Threats to Electric Grid

Why It Matters

Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced bipartisan legislation Aug. 14 designed to protect the nation’s electrical grid from emerging cybersecurity threats posed by quantum computing. The Quantum Grid Utility Assurance and Resilient Defense Act, or Quantum-GUARD Act, would direct federal regulators and the Department of Energy to evaluate quantum-related vulnerabilities and help electric utilities transition to post-quantum cryptography.

The push comes as advances in quantum computing raise concerns that sufficiently powerful systems could eventually break widely used encryption standards protecting critical infrastructure and sensitive data. The National Institute of Standards and Technology finalized its first three post-quantum cryptography standards in August 2024 and has encouraged organizations to begin transitioning to them.

Rounds framed the legislation as an extension of existing administration priorities. He said the measure would codify parts of President Donald Trump’s executive order addressing advanced cryptographic attacks and support the electric grid’s transition to post-quantum cryptography. Trump’s June executive order established a federal policy of transitioning government systems to NIST-approved post-quantum standards and assisting critical infrastructure owners and operators with their transitions.