Legacy systems may not survive the impending quantum security problem

Businesses may have years to prepare for quantum-powered cyberattacks. The problem is that some of their technology may never be ready.

Aging infrastructure, tight budgets and hardware that cannot be upgraded to support post-quantum cryptography could leave parts of customer environments vulnerable long after organizations begin protecting their most critical systems, security experts told CRN.

That creates a difficult question for MSPs and their customers:

Legacy technology could become a long-term security problem

Much of the post-quantum security conversation has focused on replacing encryption algorithms before sufficiently powerful quantum computers can break widely used cryptography.

But changing the algorithm may only be part of the challenge. Many organizations still depend on older systems because replacing them is expensive, disruptive or simply unnecessary from an operational standpoint. Some of that technology may continue performing its intended function for years while becoming increasingly difficult — or impossible — to secure against future quantum attacks.

Jason Soroko, senior fellow at Sectigo, expects fully operational legacy systems to remain insecure well beyond 2035. Some older systems simply cannot be upgraded to support post-quantum cryptography, according to the report.