Quantum computing offers significant economic and scientific opportunities by unlocking unprecedented computing power. However, quantum computing advances also accelerate the emergence of security risks, particularly the potential to break public-key encryption, which is vital for securing digital systems such as online banking and government communications. While the timeline for quantum computing’s full potential remains uncertain, the associated quantum security risks are already at play. In a focus group at the 2024 Annual Meeting on Cybersecurity, 40% of organizations indicated that they have started to take proactive steps by conducting risk assessment to understand the quantum threat. Many organizations have been increasingly vigilant about threats such as “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later”, where malicious actors collect encrypted data now with plans to decrypt it once quantum computing can break existing encryption, posing significant challenges for both current and future data security. However, some organizations are still awaiting support from industry standards, guidelines and government regulations.Multiple efforts have been taken to spur action. The G7 Cyber Expert Group identified a list of risks to financial system security, providing governments and central banks with key recommendations while calling for action.35 The World Economic Forum in collaboration with the Financial Conduct Authority also developed recommendations to inform global regulatory procedures to help ensure a collaborative and globally harmonized approach to quantum security.36 Recently, the National Institute of Standards and Cryptography (NIST) released three highly anticipated post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithm standards that were built to withstand cyberattacks from quantum computers.37 Beyond PQC standards, other technologies – quantum key distribution (QKD) and quantum random number generation (QRNG) – have also been garnering attention because they could help mitigate, either individually or in combination, the risk posed by quantum to public-key cryptography. A successful transition begins with strong cyber foundations and a clear quantum-readiness strategy, emphasizing the need for organizations to begin their quantum-readiness journey today.Preparing for the quantum threatdetails while thinking they are making progress in their attack. One notable project, SPHINX, supported by the European Union (EU)’s 2020 Research and Innovation Programme, aims to lure attackers, learn from their attacks and deploy security controls to address them. The AI Honeypot uses advanced algorithms to process attack data for AI detection and management.34 LLMs can help create realistic “bait” assets, such as fake credentials, plausible system configurations or generated content that mirrors the sensitive data attackers seek. These assets, underpinned by LLMs, help maintain the illusion of authenticity, increasing the likelihood that attackers will stay in the honeypot longer, giving defenders more time to respond. 40% of organizations are taking proactive steps to understand the quantum threats. 22 Global Cybersecurity Outlook 2025