WASHINGTON – June 18, 2025 – The Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA) today announced the publication of its Approaching Quantum Dawn: Closing the Cybersecurity Readiness Gap Before It’s Too Late Joint Analytic Report (JAR). This report provides a detailed, evidence-based assessment of the quantum computing threat landscape and offers concrete guidance for cybersecurity providers and defenders to strengthen their cryptographic resilience before it’s too late.
CTA’s report outlines how quantum progress is accelerating, driven by public and private investment, hardware breakthroughs, and international standards activity. Despite uncertainties around exactly when cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) will emerge, the report makes it clear: the risk is unfolding gradually and unevenly, and defenders must begin adapting now, not after a so-called “Q-Day” (the day that quantum computers become powerful enough to break current cryptographic systems).
This JAR reflects the collective expertise of experts from across CTA member and partner organizations and offers a timely, grounded view of the cybersecurity challenges posed by advances in quantum computing.
“Quantum computing has the potential to disrupt many different industries, including cybersecurity,” says Michael Daniel, President and CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance. “It’s important for cybersecurity providers to prepare for that disruption, and this report provides some consensus guidance regarding that preparation. If you wait until a cryptographically relevant quantum computer is operational, it will be too late.”
Key takeaways include:
🔹 Quantum computing poses a rising threat to current encryption systems, especially public-key cryptography
🔹 “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later” (HNDL) tactics are already in use by well-resourced adversaries
🔹 Cryptographic agility is essential for long-term resilience; new algorithms alone are not enough
🔹 CTA’s universal maturity scorecard offers practical benchmarks to assess and improve preparedness
🔹 Opportunities for quantum-enhanced cybersecurity include trust infrastructure, detection, and entropy solutions
Organizations that proactively modernize their cryptographic environments now will maintain operational trust and regulatory compliance as the threat matures. Those who delay will face significant risk exposure with limited options for mitigation.
The window to act is open but closing. Quantum disruption is unfolding—not all at once, but steadily—and preparation must start immediately.
About the Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA) Quantum Computing Working Committee
Members of the Approaching Quantum Dawn Working Group include:
Jaya Baloo, Stealth Startup; Jyoti Chawla, Amy Henderson, Martin G. Lee, Cisco; Aamir Lakhani, Fortinet; Michael Silverman, FS-ISAC; Megan Stifel, Jennifer Tang, Institute for Security and Technology; Ian Andriechack, IT-ISAC; German Lancioni, McAfee; Phillip Kwan, Palo Alto Networks; Sabeen Malik, Rapid7; Emerson Johnston, Michael Daniel, Jeannette Jarvis, Jason Cooper, Kate Holseberg, Cyber Threat Alliance.
About Cyber Threat Alliance www.cyberthreatalliance.org
CTA was founded by Check Point Software Technologies Ltd., Cisco, Fortinet, McAfee, Palo Alto Networks, and Symantec, Enterprise Division of Broadcom. Membership also includes Baffin Bay, CUJO AI, CyberCX, ExtraHop, Gen, Hitachi Systems, Juniper Networks, K7 Computing, Level Blue, Maltiverse, Minsait, NEC Corporation, Nozomi Networks, OneFirewall, Outpost 24, Panda Security (WatchGuard), Penta Security, Rapid7, Red Piranha, ReversingLabs, SANDS Lab, Scitum, SK shieldus, SOCRadar, SonicWall, Sophos, Telefónica Tech, and Tinexta Cyber.
The Cyber Threat Alliance (CTA) is the first nonprofit organization of its kind, uniting cybersecurity professionals in a formal, trusted community to share threat intelligence and strengthen global defenses against advanced cyber threats. CTA’s mission is to enable the exchange of actionable intelligence and situational awareness about sophisticated cyber adversaries. By doing so, it helps members bolster their defenses, disrupt malicious actors more effectively, and elevate cybersecurity standards across the Internet and cyberspace.
Media Contact: pr@cyberthreatalliance.org