Bipartisan Bill Targets Quantum Cybersecurity Risks to U.S. Electric Grid

Insider BriefPress release – U.S.

Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced the Quantum Grid Utility Assurance and Resilient Defense Act of 2026 (Quantum-GUARD Act) to strengthen electric grid resilience by proactively addressing cybersecurity threats posed by quantum computing.Quantum computing technology is rapidly progressing, and powerful quantum computers may soon be able to break widely used encryption standards that protect the cybersecurity of critical systems and sensitive data. In 2024, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalized post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standards that are more resistant to quantum-enabled decryption. Critical infrastructure sectors face unique challenges in adopting these new standards. The Quantum-GUARD Act seeks to address those challenges. It directs federal agencies to evaluate quantum-related cybersecurity vulnerabilities, assist electric utilities in transitioning to PQC, and improve coordination between grid operators, cybersecurity experts, and government partners.“Quantum computing has the potential to create new economic opportunities, but it also presents tremendous cybersecurity risks. We need to make sure essential infrastructure like our electrical grid is secured against this coming wave of quantum cyber threats,”said Senator Coons. “As the technology races forward and our adversaries continue to seek vulnerabilities in our critical systems, we need to pass the Quantum-GUARD Act to ensure our government is using every available tool to meet this threat.”“As advances in quantum computing increase cybersecurity threats to the United States, we must continue to strengthen protections for our nation’s most sensitive data,” said Senator Rounds. “I’m pleased to be co-leading the Quantum-GUARD Act, which will codify parts of President Trump’s executive order regarding advanced cryptographic attacks and support our electrical grid’s transition to post-quantum cryptography.”The Quantum-GUARD Act:“QED-C supports efforts to strengthen cybersecurity preparedness and accelerate the deployment of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) across critical infrastructure, including the electric grid. As QED-C reported in QuEnergy Resilience, using PQC to secure communications for monitoring and control of the electric grid is widely recognized as one of the most feasible and highest-impact actions to secure grid operations, with strong alignment across industry, national laboratories, and academia,” said Celia Merzbacher, executive director of the Quantum Economic Development Consortium (QED-C), managed by SRI International.“Quantum computing may seem like science fiction, but it’s only a matter of time before an operationally relevant quantum computer arrives. The cybersecurity impacts of quantum computing will be immense, and the Quantum-GUARD Act would help both government and industry tackle this problem. Prompting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider the reliability risks associated with quantum computing and directing the Department of Energy to create a sandbox to test technology and implementation strategies against quantum capabilities are good steps to take,” said Michael Daniel, president & CEO of the Cyber Threat Alliance.“Quantum computing will bring great benefits, but it also creates cybersecurity risk. Post-quantum cryptography will help ensure that our nation’s power grids are resistant to quantum attack.

The Quantum Industry Coalition supports the Quantum-GUARD Act and thanks Senators Coons and Rounds for their leadership in introducing it,” said Paul Stimers, executive director, Quantum Industry Coalition.“The threat quantum computing poses to the systems that run our electric grid is real, and the hardest part of getting ahead of it is not the cryptography itself but migrating the equipment already in the field. This bill gets the approach right. It directs FERC to weigh quantum risk where it matters, and it puts DOE’s convening power behind the practical work of helping utilities and vendors move deployed IT and OT systems to post-quantum cryptography. That focus on real-world adoption, not just research, is what the sector needs,” said Patrick C. Miller, president & CEO, Ampyx Cyber.“Preparing critical infrastructure for the transition to post-quantum cryptography starts with understanding where and how today’s cryptography is used. The Quantum-GUARD Act creates an important opportunity to help utilities and vendors test cryptographic discovery and migration approaches in realistic IT and OT environments, while giving FERC and NERC better evidence to inform future reliability policy,” said Dr. Allan Friedman, cyber supply chain expert and technologist-in-residence, TPO.group.“Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) is how we make sure the systems running America’s power grid stay secure in the quantum era, but migrating critical infrastructure takes years of preparation. The Quantum-GUARD Act gets that preparation underway now. American Binary strongly supports the Act and thanks Senators Coons and Rounds for their efforts to codify our country’s necessary PQC migration,” said Kevin Kane, CEO, American Binary.“As a leader in quantum technologies, IonQ wholly endorses this significant legislation that addresses the necessary transition to post-quantum cryptography in the energy sector,” said Dean Acosta, chief corporate affairs and government relations officer, IonQ.Read the full text of the bill here. Read a one-pager of the bill here. TopicsShare Get the latest research, company news, and market intelligence every week. MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLEThe National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve the quality of life. In Oct, 2022, A NIST team at JILA demonstrated an entangled matter-wave interferometer surpassing the standard quantum limit in sensing accelerations. In Nov 2022, NIST researchers achieved unprecedented accuracy in radio frequency signal synthesis. In Dec, 2022) NIST scientists and collaborators explored innovative techniques in four studies to detect dark matter. In Jan, 2023, A NIST-led team showcased integrated photonics circuits using quantum dots for optical quantum information applications. In Jan, 2023, NIST researchers and partners utilized ultracold atoms to simulate space-time curvature, shedding light on the quantum hall effect and topological insulators. In Sep, 2023, NIST published the Single-Photon Sources and Detectors Dictionary to enhance understanding and communication within the quantum and single-photon communities. In July 2024 NIST launched the "Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)" project under the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE).

Harvest Now Decrypt Later (HNDL) attacks pose a significant cybersecurity threat, where data stolen now can be decrypted by future quantum computers. To combat this, the consortium, which includes Post-Quantum and major tech companies like AWS, Cisco, and Microsoft, aims to develop and implement PQC solutions to secure IT systems and critical infrastructure from HNDL attacks and future quantum threats.More in Research