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Hackers are waiting for the moment quantum computing breaks cryptography and enables the mass decryption of years of stolen information. In preparation, they are harvesting even more encrypted data than usual. Here is what businesses can do in response.
Why are hackers harvesting encrypted data?
Most modern organizations encrypt multiple critical aspects of their operations. In fact, about eight in 10 businesses extensively or partially use enterprise-level encryption for databases, archives, internal networks and internet communications. After all, it is a cybersecurity best practice.
Alarmingly, cybersecurity experts are growing increasingly concerned that cybercriminals are stealing encrypted data and waiting for the right time to strike. Their worries are not unfounded — more than 70% of ransomware attacks now exfiltrate information before encryption.
The “harvest now, decrypt later” phenomenon in cyberattacks — where attackers steal encrypted information in the hopes they will eventually be able to decrypt it — is becoming common. As quantum computing technology develops, it will only grow more prevalent.
How ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ works
Quantum computers make the “harvest now, decrypt later” phenomenon possible. In