India building shield against quantum cyberattack threat

A new framework to deploy safe communications networks will be key for the country

- Shouvik Das

India's computer emergency response team (Cert-In) is working with the ministry of electronics and IT (Meity), and the Department of Science and Technology (DST) on a framework to set up quantum-safe communications networks in India.

Work on the standards is being done as nations build up quantum computing capabilities—which stakeholders across government and private sectors expect will threaten current cybersecurity standards globally.

Speaking with Mint, Sanjay Bahl, director general of Cert-In, said that work on the standard is "already ongoing".

"There are active projects on this between Meity and DST. It is work in progress and will take its own due time, Cert-In is a part of the overall initiative," Bahl said.

Two senior government officials further reaffirmed the development.

"Quantum-safe networks are not an option for the future—they are a necessity going forward as the likes of China and other neighboring geographies present such threats."

As these threats increase, building quantum computing-standard communications networks will be key for governments to protect sensitive internal communications—and for financial institutions to keep transactions secure.