BUILT FOR BREACH. DESIGNED FOR THE FUTURE.
Systems survive through
understanding failure.
YEAR — ZERO TRUST — QUANTUM
Security systems fail predictably. Dependencies break. Assumptions become invalid. Time amplifies risk. Y2Q research explores how systems survive long enough for their foundational assumptions to fail — and what happens when quantum computing renders today's cryptography obsolete overnight.
Will your systems survive?
The Numbers That Define the Crisis
Drawn from NIST, IBM Research, and McKinsey analysis. The quantum clock is not theoretical — it is running.
FIPS 203, 204 & 205 — the first finalised post-quantum cryptographic standards in history.
Quantum-vulnerable algorithms (RSA, ECC) removed from all NIST standards. High-risk systems must transition sooner.
IBM expects to demonstrate the first practical quantum advantage over classical computing by late 2026.
Peter Shor proved a quantum computer can factor integers in polynomial time — directly breaking RSA. The attack has been known for 30 years.
200 logical qubits capable of running 100 million quantum gates. By 2033: 2,000 logical qubits, 1 billion gates.
All RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography provides zero protection against a cryptographically relevant quantum computer.
About Y2Q
Y2Q explores how security systems survive long enough for their assumptions to fail.
Modern security thinking focuses on prevention: build better defences, patch vulnerabilities, use stronger encryption. But prevention alone is insufficient. Systems fail. Assumptions break. Time amplifies risk. Quantum computing does not just threaten encryption — it invalidates the mathematical foundations entire security architectures are built upon.
Y2Q research examines:
- Time as a security threat — How systems degrade, assumptions age, and dependencies rot over years and decades
- Assumption failure — What happens when core beliefs about security become computationally invalid
- Systemic cascading failure — How failures propagate through interconnected cryptographic dependencies
- Visibility and hidden dependencies — What we cannot see that threatens us — the invisible cryptographic attack surface
- Survivability — How systems persist despite failure, not just how they prevent it
- Cryptographic agility — The capacity to migrate algorithms when the mathematical ground shifts
This is research-first thinking. Not marketing. Not sales. Honest analysis of how systems break and survive when the era changes.
Research Domains
Y2Q research spans interconnected domains of systemic security in the quantum era.
Cyber C-BOM
Map your entire cryptographic attack surface. Inventory every algorithm, key, certificate and library. Understand what breaks when quantum arrives.
Explore C-BOM & Tool →Zero Trust Weaponisation
Assume breach. Contain movement. Understand how adversaries navigate and exploit zero-trust architectures once they are already inside.
Learn More →Threat Modeling
Think like attackers think. Map attack surfaces, failure modes, and the gaps in assumptions about how quantum-era threats will actually evolve.
Learn More →Post-Quantum Readiness
Defend against the next era. Understand NIST's ML-KEM, ML-DSA, and SLH-DSA standards. Plan migrations for systems that must survive decades.
Learn More →How We Got Here. What Comes Next.
Key events in the quantum computing and cryptography timeline, drawn from published research.
Shor's Algorithm
Peter Shor publishes a polynomial-time quantum algorithm for integer factorisation — mathematically breaking RSA, DSA, and ECC. The threat has been known for three decades.
Grover's Algorithm
Lov Grover's search algorithm provides a quadratic speedup, effectively halving the security of symmetric algorithms. AES-128 becomes equivalent to 64-bit under quantum attack.
NIST PQC Standardisation Begins
NIST launches a global competition to evaluate and standardise post-quantum cryptographic algorithms. 82 submissions received from researchers worldwide.
IBM Demonstrates Quantum Utility
IBM demonstrates quantum utility — a quantum computation that provides reliable results for problems beyond brute-force classical simulation. The threshold has been crossed.
NIST Releases First PQC Standards
NIST publishes FIPS 203 (ML-KEM), FIPS 204 (ML-DSA), and FIPS 205 (SLH-DSA) — the first finalised post-quantum encryption standards. Organisations must begin migrating now.
Expected: First Quantum Advantage (IBM)
IBM states it expects to demonstrate the first practical quantum advantage over all known classical methods by late 2026. State-sponsored actors are already positioned.
IBM Quantum Roadmap
200 logical qubits / 100M gates (2029). 2,000 logical qubits / 1B gates (2033). Systems not migrated by then face catastrophic exposure.
NIST Deprecation Deadline
RSA, ECC, and all quantum-vulnerable algorithms removed from NIST standards (NIST IR 8547). High-risk systems must have migrated years earlier. Non-compliant systems are fully exposed.
The Y2Q Maturity Model
From blind targets to era-resilient systems.
Understanding where your systems sit in the journey toward quantum-era resilience.
You will be breached.
The question is not if — but when. And more critically: will your cryptographic foundations survive the quantum era? Start with visibility. Start with a C-BOM.
ASSESS YOUR CRYPTOGRAPHIC RISK