The End of Secrets
How military signal intelligence has evolved from analog wiretaps to quantum harvesting. State actors are collecting your encrypted data today to unlock it tomorrow.
Until "Q-Day" (CRQC Arrival)
"Harvest Now, Decrypt Later"
Post-Quantum Cryptography
Evolution of Signal Intelligence (SIGINT)
The method of espionage has shifted from targeting specific individuals to collecting the entire haystack.
1980s: The Analog Era
Operation Ivy Bells & Cold War Radio
1980s: The Analog Era
SIGINT focused on targeted interception. Agencies tapped specific undersea copper cables and tuned into military radio frequencies.
- 📡 Tech: Satellite Dishes, Induction Taps
- 🔐 Encryption: Hardware-based (DES), rare for civilians.
2000s: The Digital Boom
Fiber Optics & Metadata
2000s: The Digital Boom
The internet backbone shifted to fiber optics. The strategy moved to "Collect It All". Analysis shifted to metadata—knowing who spoke to whom was as valuable as the content.
- 🌐 Tech: Optical Splitters, Deep Packet Inspection
- 🔐 Encryption: SSL/TLS becomes standard.
Present: The Quantum Wait
Yottabyte Storage & AI
Present: The Quantum Wait
Encryption is ubiquitous (AES-256). Agencies now store encrypted traffic in massive data centers (e.g., Utah Data Center), waiting for quantum computers to break the keys.
- 💾 Tech: Exabyte/Yottabyte Storage, AI Filtering
- 🔐 Encryption: Strong, but vulnerable to HNDL.
The Quantum Paradigm Shift
Current encryption (RSA) relies on the fact that factoring large numbers is impossibly slow for classical computers.
Shor's Algorithm, running on a quantum computer, changes the math. It turns an exponential problem into a polynomial one. What takes a supercomputer the age of the universe to crack, a quantum computer could solve in hours.
Note on Chart: The Y-axis is Logarithmic. The difference between the blue bar and the orange bar is not just size—it is the difference between "impossible" and "trivial."
Time to Crack RSA-2048 Encryption
Strategic Risk: Harvest Now, Decrypt Later
Why hoard encrypted data you can't read? Because data has a Shelf Life. If the secret remains sensitive longer than the time it takes for quantum computers to arrive, the secret is already broken.
The Mosca Theorem
Critical Fail Condition
If (x + y) > z
We are already too late to save the data.
Data Shelf Life vs. Quantum Arrival
Securing the Future: Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)
NIST has standardized new algorithms that use high-dimensional lattice mathematics—problems that are hard even for quantum computers.
CRYSTALS-Kyber
Key EncapsulationThe primary standard for general encryption. Efficient and relatively small key sizes. Used to establish secure connections over the internet.
CRYSTALS-Dilithium
Digital SignaturesThe primary standard for identity verification. Strong security with balanced performance. Will replace RSA signatures in digital certificates.
SPHINCS+
Stateless Hash-BasedA conservative backup. Slower and larger than lattice methods, but relies on different math (hashes). The insurance policy if lattice crypto is broken.