Industry Overview
Energy & Utilities
Operational data, telemetry, infrastructure logs that must remain secure for decades; quantum-based threats make this a major risk.
Finance & Banking
Large flows of sensitive data, long-term contracts, asset custody: all need quantum-resilient encryption. The Europol-led financial forum warns banks must start now.
Healthcare & Life Sciences
Lifetime patient records, genomic data, clinical trial archives: confidentiality must span decades.
Manufacturing & Aerospace
Proprietary designs, long-lifespan products (e.g., aircraft), IP that remains valuable for many years.
Government & Public Sector
National infrastructure, intelligence, defence secrets: regulatory mandates are already pushing toward quantum-safe standards.
Industry-Specific Risk Snapshots
Utilities
A breach of operational logs could expose control systems and cause cascading physical harm.
Manufacturing
IP theft may not surface immediately, but recall risk emerges when competitors act years later.
Finance
A decrypt of archived transaction data could undermine trust, open fraud, and trigger regulatory fallout.
Aerospace
Proprietary designs have a long lifespan of proprietary value and need protection to ensure leading position.
Healthcare
Decrypting old health records could violate future privacy laws and expose individuals decades later.
Government
Long-term confidentiality is vital — quantum exposure could impact national security, not just commercial confidentiality.
Compliance & Regulatory Notes
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The US Federal Government migration target: by 2035 systems must be quantum-resistant.
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The UK NCSC expects to begin large-scale migration by 2028.
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These timelines mean industry participants should act now—not later.
Call to Industry Action
If you operate in one of these sectors, ask:
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Do we know how long our confidential data must remain secret?
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Do we have a crypto-inventory of vulnerable assets (RSA, ECC, etc.)?
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Are we deploying hybrid or post-quantum encryption today?
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Are we preparing for algorithm migrations and crypto-agility?
