Quantum Computing: Creating the Next Cybersecurity Skills Race - dice.com

While artificial intelligence is having its moment, there is another potential industry-changing technology that has gained momentum while avoiding the scrutiny that has followed the release of large language models and virtual chatbots. That technology is quantum computing. For years, quantum computing has mainly been relegated to the worlds of theoretical mathematics and physics. There is now, however, a growing sense that practical applications for quantum computing are moving closer to reality. In turn, the technology has the potential to upend multiple industries and deliver breakthroughs in areas such as medical and pharmaceutical research. Quantum computing also raises significant cybersecurity concerns. Before the annual RSA Conference in April, Google Research released a paper detailing new developments in post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Specifically, researchers updated their estimates of the number of quantum computing “resources” – qubits and gates – required to break the 256-bit elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem (ECDLP-256), which underpins elliptic curve cryptography. Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) uses the mathematics of curves to create secure keys. ECC provides high security with smaller key sizes than older methods, such as RSA. This makes it fast and safe for computer systems, cell phones and blockchain systems that make cryptocurrency possible. “Cybersecurity is one of the most disruptive areas that quantum computing is expected to affect because today’s internet relies heavily on cryptography,” Julien Camirand Lemyre, CEO and co-founder of Nord Quantique, a Canadian-based quantum computing company, told Dice. “A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could eventually break some of the cryptographic techniques currently used to protect digital communications, requiring a transition to new quantum-resistant standards.” Another significant cyber question is: Are organizations ready for this change, especially around security? In late 2025, IBM released a survey of 750 CISOs that identified a severe “readiness gap” within organizations, where 73 percent of security leaders are aware of the importance of quantum readiness. Only 19 percent, however, have taken any tangible action to achieve PQC. A significant challenge for CISOs is understanding who is responsible for PQC. The research found that about 63 percent reported it’s a “vendor problem,” and few respondents agreed on who in their organization “owns” this responsibility, according to IBM. Even with security concerns over quantum computing, experts see the field as an emerging field for cybersecurity professionals interested in a career that offers pathways similar to those AI is carving out right now. “What's most exciting is that we're still at the beginning of the journey. Every major computing revolution -- from mainframes to personal computers to the cloud -- created industries and careers that didn't previously exist,” Lemyre added. “Quantum computing has the potential to do the same. Beyond enabling scientific discoveries, it's creating entirely new opportunities in hardware engineering, software development, manufacturing, cybersecurity, algorithms and quantum applications. The next decade won't just be about building better computers; it will be about building an entirely new industry.” SUBHEAD: Toward Building a Quantum Future While quantum computing remains largely theoretical, future industries will require more than mathematicians and physicists to jumpstart new initiatives. Instead, these markets will need developers, domain experts, IT and cybersecurity professionals who understand how this generation of computing hardware and applications work together, said Dr. Christian Weedbrook, founder and CEO of Xanadu, a Toronto-based photonic quantum computing company. “The critical talent gap currently is finding engineers who understand both their domain deeply and can think about computational problems in different ways than classical systems allow,” Weedbrook told Dice. “Some will need foundational knowledge of quantum mechanics, as well as strong programming skills, systems thinking, and the ability to work within constraints. Quantum computers won't replace classical computers; they'll complement them. And knowing which problems are actually worth solving on quantum hardware is itself a specialized skill.” While quantum computing might seem futuristic, experts pointed to recent developments showing that the technology and ecosystem are coming into focus. Early this year, Nord Quantique, a startup focused on the quantum error-correction sector, closed a $30 million fundraising round, placing the company at a $1.4 billion valuation. “Considering PQC fundamentally changes how organizations think about encryption, key skills would be primarily around encryption and risk modeling,” said Agnidipta Sarkar, chief evangelist at ColorTokens. “While many are worried about encryption being broken, I believe there will be a transition, and in that period, we will need to shield non-PQC systems from cyberattacks. And the world will do that by using foundational changes in digital landscapes to be ready for the next breach.” As quantum hardware scales up and the focus on quantum algorithms increases, the industry will need new disciplines. In quantum hardware, for example, the industry is moving from a scientific and conceptual level to an engineering and applied level, which requires quantum engineers, said Dr. Tal David, CEO and co-founder of Quantum Art. “This also includes electrical engineers, mechanical and opto-mechanical engineers, classical software engineers, and others,” David told Dice. “In software, we’re seeing a demand for computer scientists, algorithm experts, mathematicians, and recently, AI specialists to drive down the requirements of quantum algorithms for real-life implementation of the technology.” Looking further down the quantum road, David also noted a need for product managers, project managers, and business development and sales experts as the industry matures and moves toward larger-scale commercialization. SUBHEAD: Quantum Computing and Cybersecurity As the Google paper from this year’s RSA Conference makes clear, the PQC era will eventually arrive, and maybe sooner than expected. For today’s cybersecurity workforce, this issue requires planning now. Organizations are already vulnerable to “store-now-decrypt-later” attacks, where adversaries collect encrypted data today knowing quantum computers will eventually decrypt it, meaning the window to protect long-term sensitive information is closing rapidly, Weedbrook observed. “The transition to PQC demands ‘crypto-agility,’ the ability to quickly rotate keys, update certificates, and change cryptographic standards without disrupting operations, which potentially represents a massive restructuring of enterprise security infrastructure,” Weedbrook added. “Companies like Google have already shifted their threat models to prioritize PQC migration for authentication services, signaling that this is no longer theoretical -- it's operational reality.” With the internet relying heavily on current cryptography standards, a sufficiently powerful quantum computer could eventually break some of the cryptographic techniques currently used to protect digital communications, requiring a transition to new quantum-resistant standards, Lemyre said. “The broader lesson for cybersecurity, however, is that quantum computing introduces an entirely new computational paradigm,” Lemyre added. “Just as classical computers changed every digital industry over the past 70 years, quantum computers could enable us to address classes of problems that may remain practically intractable for classical computers, even as classical technology continues to improve.” While the danger to cryptography is well known now, it’s also important to consider how quantum computing could be used to strengthen defenses, specifically by implementing tasks such as anomaly detection and kill-chain analysis in networks, code verification, and secure authentication, David noted. “Another change we expect quantum computing to drive in cyber is the opening of a new kind of cybersecurity, namely the security of quantum systems,” David said. “Some of this would require the same standard cybersecurity we know from other types of hardware, but there will also be a need for a novel kind of cybersecurity that focuses on the actual quantum layers in both hardware and software. This is expected to lead to the formation of new companies, methods, and tools that need to be developed to tackle this new challenge.” Jason Soroko, senior fellow at Sectigo, pointed to the IBM survey, noting that quantum computing creates opportunities for professionals who can establish ownership, build a cryptographic inventory, and make algorithm changes routine, which will shape the next phase of security. “Quantum risk changes the foundations of confidentiality, authentication, software signing, and digital trust. Cyber professionals should treat post-quantum migration as a long operating program, not a deadline tied to Q-day,” Soroko told Dice. “Store-now-decrypt-later attacks make some exposure current, while signature risks require organizations to replace vulnerable systems before a cryptographically relevant quantum computer exists.”