Crypto Agility: Preparing for the Post-Quantum Shift

Many enterprises believe their encryption is secure—until a new threat proves otherwise. Quantum computing and evolving cryptographic risks are forcing security teams to rethink their defenses before it’s too late.

Cybercriminals are already harvesting encrypted data, storing it for future decryption as quantum computing capabilities evolve. Organizations must act now to safeguard sensitive data—before it’s too late.

At the same time, encryption faces immediate challenges: TLS certificates are expiring faster than ever, certificate authority (CA) breaches are disrupting businesses, and cryptographic lifecycle management remains a weak point for many organizations.

The question isn’t whether current encryption methods will hold—it’s how soon they will need to be replaced. Failing to modernize cryptographic defenses invites data breaches, service outages, and compliance violations—each carrying the potential for millions in damages.

Why Most Organizations Lack Crypto Agility

Crypto agility—the ability to swiftly update cryptographic defenses, replace compromised certificates, and transition to stronger encryption—is critical for long-term security. Yet, most enterprises remain dangerously unprepared.

As a practitioner working closely with CISOs and security teams, I have observed that many organizations still rely on manual certificate management, often tracking cryptographic assets through spreadsheets and outdated tools, leading to last-minute renewals and a lack of centralized visibility into encryption assets. Without automation, security teams struggle to track expiring certificates, locate encryption deployments, and phase out outdated cryptographic standards.

This lack of agility creates serious risks:

If a major CA were compromised, could your organization switch providers without downtime?

If a cryptographic algorithm were deemed insecure, would you know exactly where to update it across your infrastructure?

Most organizations couldn’t react fast enough and that’s a problem, not just for post-quantum threats, but for today’s security landscape.

The Rising Challenge of Cryptographic Risks and the Looming Threat of Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is accelerating. IBM and Google have doubled qubit counts in just two years, moving closer to breaking asymmetric encryption.

While full-scale quantum decryption is expected within the next decade, attackers are already engaging in ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ tactics – intercepting and storing encrypted data in anticipation of future breakthroughs.

Consider a healthcare company transmitting patient medical records securely today. An attacker intercepts and stores this data. In a decade, a quantum-enabled adversary decrypts it, exposing millions of private health records violating HIPAA and triggering massive lawsuits.

Delaying post-quantum cryptography (PQC) adoption leaves organizations vulnerable to future decryption attacks.

TLS Certificates Are Expiring Faster Than Ever

Shorter TLS certificate lifespans are placing a heavier renewal burden on IT teams, making automation essential. Google and Apple have already reduced certificate validity from 398 days to 90 days, and further reductions may follow.

Industry trends suggest an even faster rotation cycle, potentially requiring renewals every few days. As certificate rotations accelerate, manual management will become unscalable, making automation a necessity to prevent outages.

For a company managing 10,000 certificates, this shift means handling up to 40,000 renewal events per year—an unmanageable task without automation. ACME-based automation (such as Let’s Encrypt) can simplify short-lived certificate management and help organizations stay ahead.

CA Breaches Are Disrupting Businesses

The 2024 Entrust CA breach highlighted the risks of relying on a single provider. Companies that depended solely on Entrust scrambled to replace certificates, facing downtime and compliance penalties. Meanwhile, organizations with multi-CA strategies pivoted within days and avoided major disruptions.

The business cost of a CA breach goes beyond just technical fixes:

E-commerce platforms risk lost revenue as customers see security warnings and abandon purchases.
Financial institutions could suffer online banking outages, damaging customer trust.

Without crypto agility, a single CA compromise can lead to outages, financial losses, and compliance violations.

The Real-World Cost of Weak Encryption

Poor cryptographic management has already led to major security failures:

SolarWinds Attack (2020): Stolen code-signing certificates allowed attackers to distribute malware through trusted software updates, affecting 18,000 organizations.
Marriott Data Breach (2018): A compromised TLS certificate enabled attackers to maintain unauthorized access for years, exposing 500 million guest records and resulting in a $23.8 million GDPR fine.
Twitter Outage (2022): An expired TLS certificate went unnoticed, leading to service disruptions affecting both employees and users.

These failures highlight that weak cryptographic management leads to financial losses, compliance violations, and reputational damage.

How Companies Can Stay Ahead by Building Crypto Agility: The Blueprint for a Secure Future

Reactive cryptographic security is no longer sustainable. Organizations must adopt crypto agility to prevent disruptions and security failures

1. Maintain Continuous Visibility Into Cryptographic Assets

Security teams need continuous visibility into cryptographic assets – certificates, keys, and encryption algorithms across their entire infrastructure. Outdated technologies like SHA-1 and RSA-1024 should be eliminated before they become vulnerabilities.

2. Automate Certificate Lifecycle Management (CLM)

Manual certificate tracking is no longer viable, and organizations must adopt automated CLM solutions to seamlessly track, renew, and replace certificates without human error. Additionally, a multi-CA strategy is essential to eliminate single points of failure, ensuring that if one CA is compromised, organizations can pivot instantly without disruption.

3. Prepare for Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)

NIST has designated Kyber and Dilithium as next-generation quantum-resistant cryptographic standards, making it crucial for enterprises to begin testing them today. Upgrading HSMs (Hardware Security Modules) and cryptographic libraries now will ensure a seamless transition as post-quantum cryptography (PQC) adoption accelerates.

4. Embed Cryptographic Resilience into DevSecOps

Cryptographic hygiene isn’t a one-time project. Organizations should:

Align with NIST SP 800-208 to follow cryptographic best practices.
Conduct regular security audits to identify outdated encryption.
Embed cryptographic resilience into DevSecOps workflows to ensure encryption is always up-to-date.

The Future of Encryption Is Changing—Are You Ready?

Quantum decryption may be years away, but cryptographic threats are already breaking systems today. CA breaches, TLS certificate expiration changes, and evolving encryption standards demand immediate action.

The cost of inaction is steep. A major cryptographic failure could lead to millions in fines, lost revenue due to downtime, and irreversible damage to customer trust.

What’s Next? At Least Start by Taking These Three Immediate Steps:

Audit cryptographic assets – Identify all certificates, keys, and encryption protocols currently in use. Flag outdated encryption before it becomes a vulnerability.
Automate certificate lifecycle management – Implement ACME or enterprise CLM solutions to prevent outages.
Begin post-quantum cryptography (PQC) testing – Pilot Kyber and Dilithium-based encryption to future-proof data security.

Delaying cryptographic upgrades increases the risk of costly security breaches. The question isn’t if change is coming—it’s whether you’ll be ready when it does. In security, proactive beats reactive every time.