Quantum Resistance: Practical Steps for Federal Agencies and Defense Contractors

This episode delves into practical measures agencies and contractors can adopt to prepare for the quantum computing threat. Key topics include cryptographic inventory, quantum-safe VPNs, enhanced randomness, and identity management. Joey Swartz from ATP Gov presented a white paper outlining five steps toward quantum resistance. Emphasis is placed on understanding and cataloging current cryptographic methods, integrating quantum-safe practices in DevSecOps, securing VPNs, and employing quantum random number generation. The episode underscores the importance of a risk-informed, phased approach to quantum readiness while highlighting ATP Gov’s role as a vendor-neutral integrator for quantum defense.

• 00:00 Introduction
• 00:38 The Quantum Threat Landscape
• 02:12 Practical Steps Towards Quantum Resistance
• 03:59 Integrating Quantum Safe Practices in DevSecOps
• 05:07 Securing VPNs with Post-Quantum Cryptography
• 06:48 Quantum Random Number Generators
• 08:27 Strengthening Identity and Machine Authentication
• 09:51 Conclusion and Call to Action

This episode is brought to you by ATP Gov. Visit us online at www.atpgov.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

[00:00:00] Welcome to the Bottom Line Upfront, the podcast that cuts through the noise to deliver distilled insights from today’s most important technical webinars, presentations and demonstrations designed for federal and military IT leaders. Each episode breaks down complex technologies into mission ready takeaways, so you get the key points.

Fast. Whether it’s cybersecurity, cloud, architecture, or emerging defense technologies, we highlight what matters most and how trusted integrators like a TP gov can help implement and operationalize these solutions across your agency or command. No fluff. No filler, just the bottom line upfront. Imagine waking up to the news that an adversary has quietly decrypted years of your encrypted communications ops plans, supply chain data, even contractor agreements, no breach notice, no zero day exploit, just mathematics and compute.

That’s the future of what we’re preparing for today. In this episode, we’re covering a technical white paper titled Practical Steps [00:01:00] Towards Quantum Resistance, presented by a TP Gov’s, Joey Schwartz. We’ll cover five concrete moves agencies and defense contractors can make now, including cryptographic inventory, application scanning and remediation, securing VPNs with post quantum cryptography, strengthening randomness with quantum random number generation, and bringing PQC into authentication and access management.

Quantum computing is still maturing. Qubits are fragile. Error rates are high, and stability windows are short, but that doesn’t eliminate the threat. Think of quantum as the most dangerous course of action in the military decision making process. Maybe not the most likely today, but if an adversary gets there first, the impact is catastrophic.

Two realities matter for federal and military teams. Harvest now decrypt later. Where adversaries can capture encrypted traffic. Today, your VPN sessions, your emails, your file transfers and hold it until quantum capabilities mature. When they do historical data becomes plain text. And secondly, nation state [00:02:00] investment, where major powers are pouring resources into quantum r and d.

If a capability jump happens, it won’t come with a polite press release. It’ll show up in the intelligence, in the anomalies and in the outcomes. Let’s review some practical steps you can take in preparation for Quantum. If you only do one thing this quarter, do this. Inventory your cryptography, not just we use TLS or we encrypt at rest, but a comprehensive catalog of algorithms, key sizes, protocols, certificate, life cycles, and where and how they’re used across apps, endpoints, data stores, and communications.

Why does it matter? Well, you can’t integrate to quantum safe cryptography if you don’t know what you’re migrating from. And for compliance, think audits poems, atos, this inventory becomes your system of record. Joey mentions in his paper a few tools that can be used during this phase, those being IBM Guardian quantum Safe, which auto discovers crypto posture across the enterprise surfaces standards in use like TLS versions, [00:03:00] storage algorithms, and supports compliance reporting.

Additionally extra hops Reveal X leverages asset inventory and classification to identify cipher strength, crypto usage, and certificate issues with dashboards and historical analysis, plus mapping dependencies so you don’t break mission systems during change. Joy’s main advice is to build a cryptographic catalog of algorithms, key links, protocol version, certificate authorities, and rotation schedules.

He says to prioritize remediation where risk intersects, mission criticality, identifies systems, cross domain solutions, command and control data paths and external partner links. Use tools that visualize dependencies. So refactor. Don’t create outages and kick off a 30 day crypto posture. Assessment.

Establish ownership, define scope, whether that’s on-prem, cloud, or in an enclave, and select your discovery tools. All of this should then allow you to create a heat map of high risk crypto dependencies in a roadmap for phased remediation. The next preparation [00:04:00] step is to bring quantum safe practices into your DevSecOps methodologies, scanning your code base for crypto use, not just libraries, but patterns and integration.

This lets you plan refactor without taking systems offline. Joey again relies on his experience with IBM to highlight tools like IBM Quantum Safe Explorer, a static code scanning tool, which is designed to build a cryptographic build of materials and identify conventional and quantum related vulnerabilities at the same time.

IBM’s Quantum Safe Mediator is used as a testing harness for p QC performance and quantum safe proxies in front of apps that can’t be refactored immediately. Joey’s advice. Treat crypto like a dependency with versioning and test its coverage. Use proxies and gateways to front load PQC where full refactor aren’t feasible yet, and align with agency policy, enforcing standards via Jira and ServiceNow through workflows tied to your crypto inventory.

And add a crypto bill of materials requirement to your CICD pipelines, making your gate releases [00:05:00] dependent on crypto checks and open tickets automatically for non-compliant components and track remediation against mission timelines. Another practical step in preparation for Quantum is to secure your existing VPNs with P-Q-C-V-P-N is a pretty straightforward place to begin adopting post quantum cryptography.

You’ll still use IPSec tunnels, but negotiate keys via hybrid exchanges that combine classical methods like Diffy, Helman, ECC with PQC algorithm. Currently Palo Alto network supports two methods post quantum pre shared keys, or PPK per RFC 87 84, mixing an out-of-band secret with the negotiated key materials and hybrid key exchange using N standardized PQC like ml, KEM, kyber alongside classical exchanges, and then combining outputs.

On the other hand, Fortinet has led real world experiments, sustaining post quantum cryptography, and even QKD in long duration data center links. Both of these implementations [00:06:00] require Ike V two for quantum resistant tunnels, and that can be a challenge for legacy clients and mixed vendor environments.

Per Joey Palo Alto operating system 12.1 enables global protect endpoints to participate in p qc tunnels today, reducing that last mile gap. So if you’re considering this step, he also recommends start with firewall to firewall p qc tunnels on high value data paths plan for hybrid environments where IV two and classical modes can coexist, validate the performance and stability in mission windows that way you have no surprises during ops.

He also recommends you get started by selecting two priority enclaves and stand up pilot post quantum cryptography tunnels. Measure the handshake, times the throughput, the failover behavior, and endpoint compatibility document lessons learned for broader rollout in the future. Now let’s talk about implementation realities and risk management for a moment, encryption strength depends on randomness.

Traditional pseudo random number generators, also known as PNGs, are [00:07:00] algorithmic and deterministic. If you know the seed and the method, on the other hand, quantum random number generators or qr ngs, use physical quantum phenomena like photon behavior or artifacts found in nature to produce truly random numbers that are not predictably reproducible.

There are currently vendors offering software or hardware, quantum random number generators including Quantium, crypt, quant, ropy IDQ, Quintes Labs and Q side. Palo Alto Networks helped developed an open QR N-G-A-P-I, making it easier for applications to call quantum randomness via rest. And this is supported in Pan OS 11.2 and above.

Continuum’s Quantum Origin stands out for its FIPs one 40 dash three. Certification and air gap use generated provably random quantum seeds that can scale without dedicated hardware. In this case, Joey recommends that you use QRNG where keys matter most. That being VPNs SM code signing, hardware provisioning, and HSM operations.

[00:08:00] Prefer FIPs validated sources and documented provenance for auditability. Make sure you treat QRNG adoption as a defense in depth enhancement, not a replacement for strong cryptographic algorithms. The first step, however, is to identify key generation workflows, things like VPN certificates and secure boot.

Prototype quantum random number generation seating via the open API or vetted hardware sources captured those performances and integration overheads for future use. Another important topic to consider compromised credentials. Remain the top driver of incidents in an IT enterprise. Strengthening identity and machine authentication with PQC can reduce ransomware exposure and close a major adversary pathway.

Delineates quantum lock is a hybrid method using hybrid 10 24 to encapsulate user-generated secrets pairing asymmetrical key exchange with symmetric encryption like a ES 2 56 for robust credential protection. On the other hand, quirks is ephemeral key infrastructure. Also known as EKI replaces [00:09:00] static machine credentials with rapidly rotating momentary credentials derived from natural phenomena and assembled into a multi-dimensional matrix, continuously verified quantum resistant, and compatible with PKI we’re required.

But when you consider quantum enabling these types of solutions, you have to prioritize privilege, access protections, especially for domain admin service accounts and jump boxes. You need to consider moving machine authentication away from static credentials. You have to integrate PQC into your zero trust policies as part of continuous verification, lease privilege and short-lived secrets Joey recommends running a privileged access hardening sprint, and that would include deploying de line’s quantum lock to privilege access, account management vaults, and piloting quirks, EKI for machine to machine authentication in a controlled enclave.

The idea here is to measure reductions in credential persistence and misuse. So what’s the bottom line upfront? You don’t need a production grade quantum computer to justify action. You need a risk informed plan that addresses the [00:10:00] high impact scenario with steps that also strengthen your current cyber posture.

In the end, all of this sounds great, but none of it is plug and play. Expect service engagements, workshops, and careful planning. Quantum safe migrations. Introduce new dependencies and your crypto inventory will surface hard choices because of legacy systems, interop constraints and performance impacts.

So be sure to conduct business process workshops to capture human-centric data flows. Who signs what, where keys live, and how updates are propagated. Produce heat maps of crypto risk tied to mission outcomes. Then prioritize your refactor and design for hybrid operations. Add PQC where capable and remain classical, where constrained while controlling the blast radius and dependency chains.

Success in this instance comes from sequencing, starting with inventory, securing critical tunnels, hardening identity, and folding PQC into DevSecOps. Done right. You improve today’s posture while preparing for tomorrow’s threat. This is where a TB earns its keep. We act as your vendor [00:11:00] neutral integrator for quantum defense, bringing evidence-based guidance, hands-on engineering and post-sale support that prevents shelfware, that protects mission timelines.

Quantum computing may feel like tomorrow’s problem, but harvest now, decrypt later makes it today’s priority. So if you’re a federal agency, a prime, or a critical subcontractor, your quantum readiness journey starts with visibility. So reach out to a TB gov for a 30 day quantum readiness assessment. We’ll give you the crypto inventory, the risk heat map, and a phase plan to move forward without disrupting the mission.

Be sure to reach out to atp gov today at www.atpgov.comoremailinfoatatpgov.com, or check us out on social media on LinkedIn. Thanks for listening, and be sure to subscribe to the bottom line upfront wherever you get your podcast. And stay tuned for more distilled insights from the front lines of tech and national security.

So until next time, stay secure. Stay mission ready.

The Bottom Line Up Front, is ATP Gov’s podcast that cuts through the noise to deliver distilled insights from today’s most important technical webinars, presentations and demonstrations designed for federal and military IT leaders. Each episode breaks down complex technologies into mission ready takeaways, so you get the key points.

Fast.

Whether it’s cybersecurity, cloud, architecture, or emerging defense technologies, we highlight what matters most and how trusted integrators like ATP Gov can help implement and operationalize these solutions across your agency or command.

No fluff. No filler, just the bottom line up front.