GAO issues 89 recommendations to the US on quantum risks — The National

In the United States, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued 89 recommendations to more than 20 federal agencies on preparing for the emergence of quantum computers capable of breaking modern encryption, The National reports. The agency advised institutions to compile inventories of potentially vulnerable cryptographic systems in order to determine funding needs for the transition to post-quantum cryptography.

Risks to encryption

The report refers to cryptographically relevant quantum computers, or CRQCs. Such systems could potentially break nearly any encryption, and their emergence without proper preparation could have catastrophic consequences for the US economy and security, the GAO said.

The material also describes the hypothetical Q-Day scenario, which technology and cybersecurity specialists had previously warned about. Under this scenario, quantum computers could fall into the hands of malicious actors, who would use them to crack billions of passwords and other data-protection tools, potentially triggering a wave of financial crime.

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Agencies' response

Twelve government bodies agreed with the GAO's recommendations. One agency objected to several of them, while the US Department of the Interior did not provide a response. The GAO published only general recommendations, while details of the others were not disclosed. The agency also did not include agencies' letters containing comments in the released document due to sensitivity considerations.

At the same time, experts consider the likelihood of creating CRQCs within the next 10 years to be low. However, the GAO drew attention to the risk that malicious actors, governments, or organizations may already be collecting large volumes of encrypted data in order to decrypt it after such systems emerge. According to the agency's assessment, the loss of even a small amount of important confidential information could seriously affect the operations of federal structures.

The World Economic Forum also listed lattice-based cryptography among the 10 emerging technologies of 2026 as an important technology. It is based on complex mathematical problems related to lattices which, according to the source's description, even quantum computers are unable to solve.