The article addresses the emerging challenges that quantum computing poses for the protection of personal data, highlighting its disruptive capacity over current cryptographic systems. Through a systematic literature review based on recent academic sources and institutional documents from agencies such as NIST and ENISA, it critically examines how quantum algorithms, such as Shor's, can breach traditional cryptographic methods such as RSA and ECC. Among the main findings, two central risks are identified: the obsolescence of current cryptography and the threat of massive leaks of sensitive data, even those encrypted today with standards considered secure. The study also reveals legal loopholes and an alarming lack of technical criteria in current regulations, which weakens the legal capacity to anticipate these risks. It concludes that there is an urgent need for a proactive and technologically informed regulatory reform that incorporates post-quantum cryptographic standards and promotes international cooperation. The article highlights the need for interdisciplinary responses to preserve privacy as a fundamental right in the new digital environment transformed by quantum technologies.
The article addresses the emerging challenges that quantum computing poses for the protection of personal data, highlighting its disruptive capacity over current cryptographic systems. Through a systematic literature review based on recent academic sources and institutional documents from agencies such as NIST and ENISA, it critically examines how quantum algorithms, such as Shor's, can breach traditional cryptographic methods such as RSA and ECC. Among the main findings, two central risks are identified: the obsolescence of current cryptography and the threat of massive leaks of sensitive data, even those encrypted today with standards considered secure. The study also reveals legal loopholes and an alarming lack of technical criteria in current regulations, which weakens the legal capacity to anticipate these risks. It concludes that there is an urgent need for a proactive and technologically informed regulatory reform that incorporates post-quantum cryptographic standards and promotes international cooperation. The article highlights the need for interdisciplinary responses to preserve privacy as a fundamental right in the new digital environment transformed by quantum technologies.
The emerging threat to current cryptographic infrastructures supporting the world's data security and privacy regimes is the accelerating development of quantum computing. RSA and several other classical encryption systems are susceptible to quantum algorithms like the Shor algorithm, and thus to the quantum threat on the pillars of digital trust. The implications of these quantum threats on regulation have been critically reviewed in this paper by looking at the suitability of the current data protection and cybersecurity guidelines in combating the emerging risks. Even though, in the present legal system, as has been introduced, e.g. in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, in India, the technology-neutral approach is applied, the disruptive capacity of quantum computing on the encryption standards is not directly addressed. The study adopts the policy-oriented perspective and assesses the phenomenon of harvest now, decrypt later and the effect it has on data security in the long term, intergenerational privacy, and regulation accountability. It examines the activity of the international work on the topic of post-quantum cryptography (PQC), in particular, it is also concerned with the projects that involve the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and identifies the inconsistency between the technical context of standards and the legal one.
The emerging threat to current cryptographic infrastructures supporting the world's data security and privacy regimes is the accelerating development of quantum computing. RSA and several other classical encryption systems are susceptible to quantum algorithms like the Shor algorithm, and thus to the quantum threat on the pillars of digital trust. The implications of these quantum threats on regulation have been critically reviewed in this paper by looking at the suitability of the current data protection and cybersecurity guidelines in combating the emerging risks. Even though, in the present legal system, as has been introduced, e.g. in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, in India, the technology-neutral approach is applied, the disruptive capacity of quantum computing on the encryption standards is not directly addressed. The study adopts the policy-oriented perspective and assesses the phenomenon of harvest now, decrypt later and the effect it has on data security in the long term, intergenerational privacy, and regulation accountability. It examines the activity of the international work on the topic of post-quantum cryptography (PQC), in particular, it is also concerned with the projects that involve the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and identifies the inconsistency between the technical context of standards and the legal one.
The advent of quantum computing marks a turning point in the field of cybersecurity. Traditional cryptographic systems, widely used to safeguard the confidentiality and integrity of digital information, face increasing risks due to the unique capabilities of quantum computers to solve complex mathematical problems with exponential speed. In response to this scenario, post-quantum cryptography has emerged, seeking to design algorithms resistant to attacks originating from quantum technology. This article examines the fundamentals of quantum computing, the risks it poses to classical systems, and the various alternative cryptographic solutions, including those based on lattices, codes, hash functions, and multivariate polynomials. It also analyzes the main challenges for the adoption of these technologies, such as computational load and interoperability, as well as the efforts by international organizations like ISO and NIST to standardize protocols and facilitate a secure transition. Finally, organizational strategies for preparing companies and institutions for this imminent change are discussed, highlighting the importance of a multidimensional understanding that encompasses technical, strategic, and cultural aspects. The review concludes that post-quantum cybersecurity requires a coordinated effort between research, standardization, and organizational management to protect information in the new digital age.
Quantum computing has emerged as a transformative technology with the potential to fundamentally disrupt modern cryptographic systems that underpin global data security. This paper examines the extent to which quantum computing could pose a threat to modern global data security by synthesising existing technical, institutional, and policy-oriented literature. Drawing on a narrative review of scholarly research, industry reports, and government frameworks, the analysis focuses on the implications of quantum algorithms such as Shor’s and Grover’s, which challenge the mathematical foundations of widely used cryptographic schemes. The findings suggest that while quantum computing presents a credible long-term threat to asymmetric encryption and weakens symmetric encryption, substantial engineering and physical constraints currently limit the feasibility of large-scale quantum attacks. The review also highlights the role of post-quantum cryptography, quantum key distribution, and international standardisation efforts as proactive responses that significantly mitigate future risks. Overall, the paper argues that the threat posed by quantum computing is conditional rather than immediate, shaped by the pace of technological development, cryptographic adaptation, and global policy coordination. Quantum computing therefore represents both a security challenge and a catalyst for strengthening future data protection infrastructures.
The rapid development of quantum computing is one of the most transformative technological developments of the twenty-first century with profound implications for cybersecurity, digital governance and the future of secure communication systems. Traditional cryptographic infrastructures have fundamentally underpinned digital trust in banking, healthcare, defense, cloud computing, and global communication networks, but the advent of quantum computational power has led to increasing concern about the future of existing standards for encryption. This qualitative study critically examines the changing relationship between quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography through an analysis of the technological, institutional, ethical and governance challenges in the transition to quantum-secure digital systems. The study adopts an interpretivist and exploratory qualitative orientation that aims to understand how governments, cybersecurity experts, technology institutions and policy frameworks are responding to the disruptive potential of quantum technologies. Data were collected using thematic analysis of academic literature, cybersecurity policy documents, archival technological reviews, expert commentaries, institutional reports, and emerging case studies related to the development of quantum-resistant cryptography. The results show that quantum computing presents serious threats to existing public-key cryptographic systems, especially in terms of theoretical abilities of Shor’s algorithm and future quantum decryption models. Meanwhile, the paper outlines post-quantum cryptography as a vital avenue for safeguarding digital privacy, institutional credibility, and cybersecurity robustness in an ever more networked society. The analysis also points to ongoing challenges around technological readiness, regulatory uncertainty, global standardization, resource inequality and ethical issues around surveillance, privacy and digital sovereignty. Yet, the research points to the potential for secure digital transformation, resilient cybersecurity governance, and the re-inventing of future communication infrastructure through post-quantum innovation. The research finds that the transition to quantum-secure systems is not just a technological challenge, but a multidimensional governance and policy challenge requiring international cooperation, ethical foresight and proactive institutional change.
Quantum Computing constitutes a technologically disruptive paradigm, grounded in principles such as superposition and entanglement, which make it possible to surpass certain limits of classical computing. Nevertheless, this capability introduces significant vulnerabilities in the field of cybersecurity, calling into question the foundations of contemporary cryptography. Quantum algorithms such as Shor's and Grover's may compromise asymmetric cryptographic systems, namely RSA and ECC, and reduce the effective security margin of symmetric cryptography. This article analyses the foundations of quantum computing and its impact on digital and communication infrastructures. In light of this scenario, the transition to PQC is examined as a technical and normative response. In parallel, a legal and regulatory analysis is conducted, focusing on organizational liability in light of the GDPR, the DORA Regulation, and the NIS2 Directive. It is concluded that the continued use of outdated cryptographic mechanisms may constitute not only a technical weakness, but also a material legal risk. The article puts forward practical and normative recommendations aimed at digital resilience in an emerging risk context.