The current focus is on how AI will change our world, but little attention has been paid to the emergence of quantum computing, which will significantly enhance computer and AI performance. Quantum computing will significantly enhance medicine, materials science, and cryptography.
Quantum computing will have its advantages for new encryption protocols; however, decrypting pre-quantum cryptography will be a game changer. Quantum computer processing will be able to decrypt current encryption within a fraction of the time it currently takes.
The list of potential threats are the usual suspects – China and Russia. There are quantum computational developments with Iran and North Korea, but they are still in the early stages of research.
Alarmingly, the application of quantum computing to cryptography has not garnered the attention it deserves. The 2025 Annual Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community only made one reference to China and quantum information science:
Beijing has prioritized technology sectors such as advanced power and energy, AI, biotechnology, quantum information science, and semiconductors, further challenging US efforts to protect critical technologies by tailoring restrictions narrowly to address national security concerns. [1]
The reference to quantum information science has been tawdry, even in the 2024 DNI Threat Assessment – it only received two mentions of equal description in the 2025 DNI report. However, quantum computing and its applications in decryption mean that Zero Day, where our digital infrastructure is compromised and shut down, is no longer a distant concept from Hollywood.
Quantum computing and the use of AI can be the modern equivalent of Bletchley Park and the cracking of the Enigma code – albeit not as dramatic or requiring a blockbuster movie – but the consequences will be dire and felt globally. Encryption keys can be revealed, and with that, our defence and security, as well as our communications and files, could be compromised.
It appears that the US Department of Defense is taking the threat seriously. According to Lastwall VP James Grannan, our cyber adversaries are accumulating huge swathes of encrypted data to build a database that Quantum Computing can analyze and decrypt. Our adversaries are collecting secrets now, knowing they will be able to read them in future.
Imagine what occurred at Bletchley Park in World War II; encrypted messages were stored on paper and were attempted to be decrypted by any means necessary. Alan Turing’s abstract machine enabled the overall decryption of the Enigma code, provided no new additions to the Enigma were made. Imagine quantum decryption with the assistance of AI.
However, initiatives are being made to secure our communication and databases.
Lastwall is a cybersecurity company based in New Brunswick, Canada, that specializes in quantum-resistant protocols, also known as Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). The United States Department of Defence’s Defence Innovation Unit has deployed its services since 2017. Grannan stated that Lastwall’s services are contracted to protect some of the US DoD’s servers. Not only to mitigate risk but also to create development within the cybersecurity field.
This has not been their only success. Lastwall’s Identity and Access Management (IAM) services, which gained qualification, were validated by Canada’s Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks (CENGN). They are on the Canadian Government’s ‘Pathway to Commercialization’ procurement vehicle, which allows for government agencies to procure their services until 2027.
Lastwall also attended the annual 2025 NATO-Private Sector Engagement. This event brings together NATO senior-level representatives and industry leaders to present emerging defence opportunities, allowing industry leaders to comment and pose questions. These engagements allow industry, NATO as an organization, and NATO’s individual state membership to take note of developments in policy, technology, and the ever-evolving battlefield.
Lastwall’s approach is not what a typical analyst or person on the street would think about. Lastwall is developing tools to combat a post-quantum cyberattack threat. Lastwall created a secure MFA authenticator. An MFA is an app that helps you log in to your account using multiple forms of identification instead of just a password.
Public infrastructure can be tied to the hardware of the device issued, and fingerprint and facial recognition can be integrated, ensuring that no unauthorized person can access the device. Lastwall is taking a security-first approach, meaning that its services and systems are based on the most stringent policies and compliance controls with a Zero Trust-based platform.
Lastwall can compete against the threat of quantum computing, but it cannot compete with policy lags. It is well known in Canada and around the world that defence and security services procurement can take an extended period of time. When it comes to implementing digital security, it is either too early or too late.
The problem with using quantum computing for decryption is that there will be no learning process or early warning. Once it is utilized for decryption, there will be little to no warning of how compromised our networks and communication are with quantum computing.
Companies like Lastwall are the first and last line of defence. For this startup to make the inroads it has, it is a company definitely worth watching and further consideration.
[1] Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, March 2025, available at: https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ATA-2025-Unclassified-Report.pdf,p. 13.
Feauture Image: “Cybersecurity” Wikimedia Commons, 2025