India’s digital ecosystem could face rising cybersecurity risks as quantum computing advances threaten encryption methods currently used across Aadhaar authentication, banking, online payments and other critical digital services.
Much of today’s digital security relies on cryptographic systems designed for conventional computers. However, sufficiently powerful quantum computers could potentially break several widely used public key encryption techniques, creating a need for organisations to begin shifting towards post quantum cryptography. Gartner estimates that commonly used asymmetric cryptography could become unsafe by 2030.
The concern is particularly significant for India because of the scale of its digital infrastructure. Aadhaar authentication, banking transactions, online payments and encrypted communications depend on security mechanisms that may eventually become vulnerable to quantum powered attacks. The transition to quantum safe technologies therefore involves not just individual companies, but some of the country’s most important digital systems.
Despite the urgency, India’s enterprise sector appears to be at an early stage of preparedness. Estimates cited in the report suggest that only around 10% to 15% of large Indian enterprises have started structured assessments of their readiness for post quantum security. This leaves organisations with limited time to identify vulnerable systems, evaluate replacement technologies and plan migration strategies.
Another concern is the possibility of “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks. In such scenarios, attackers can collect encrypted information today and potentially decrypt it in the future once sufficiently capable quantum computers become available. This makes long lived sensitive data particularly important to protect before quantum computing reaches a level capable of breaking existing encryption.
The transition will also require significant coordination across financial institutions, technology companies, government agencies and digital infrastructure providers. Organisations will need to identify where vulnerable cryptographic technologies are being used, assess their dependencies and gradually introduce quantum resistant alternatives without disrupting critical services.
For India, post quantum security is therefore moving from a future technology discussion to an immediate cybersecurity planning challenge. With digital identity and financial infrastructure operating at enormous scale, early preparation could be critical to protecting trust, privacy and continuity in the quantum era.
