Quantum Arms Race Heats Up: Hackers vs. Guardians in the Battle for Unbreakable Encryption

As quantum computing threatens to shatter today’s encryption, a high-stakes global showdown unfolds—governments and corporations deploy unhackable “quantum highways” while hackers stockpile data for future decryption. Who will win the race to secure—or steal—the future?

• India’s Quantum Leap – C-DOT and STL’s breakthrough “quantum highway” embeds ultra-secure QKD in standard fiber cables, slashing costs by 40% while safeguarding critical infrastructure from quantum hacking.
  
  
• France’s Quantum Shield – Orange and Toshiba launch the world’s first commercial quantum-safe network in Paris, merging QKD and post-quantum cryptography to defend financial and government data against future attacks.
  
  
• The “Steal Now, Crack Later” Threat – Hackers are already hoarding encrypted data, waiting for quantum computers to crack it—forcing industries to urgently adopt quantum-resistant encryption or risk catastrophic breaches.

As the world moves rapidly towards realizing the potential of quantum computing, that promises to perform complex calculations in a matter of seconds, which would take classical computers, that we use today impossible number of years to perform, but it is also creating a alarming play-script when malicious actors can crack the most impregnable digital security walls to hack information. Hackers, using ‘store-now-decrypt-later’ attacks are already stealing and hoarding information today, to crack later once quantum technology is sufficiently developed. Concurrently, organizations and countries are also coming up with unbreakable codes to combat this potential threat and secure vital data transmission, setting off a game of quantum one-upmanship between hackers and organizations.

India’s landmark achievement in quantum communication, announced by the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) and Sterlite Technologies Limited (STL) on April 21, 2025, represents a breakthrough in secure data transmission. Their successful test of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) through a 4-core Multi-Core Fiber essentially creates a “quantum highway” within standard internet cables – imagine four parallel data lanes in a single hair-thin glass strand. Three lanes carry regular internet traffic (video calls, emails, etc.), while the fourth exclusively transports unbreakable quantum encryption keys using light particles.

This configuration, first proven in this Indian trial, allows organizations to simultaneously transmit sensitive data (like bank transactions) and their protective quantum keys through the same physical cable, achieving military-grade security without needing separate infrastructure. The system’s built-in intrusion detection (any hacking attempt disrupts the quantum signals) makes it particularly valuable for securing critical infrastructure, from power grids to defense networks, while cutting fiber deployment costs by 30-40% according to STL’s preliminary estimates. This advancement positions India among global leaders in quantum-ready communication systems.

Orange Business, the enterprise division of the Orange Group, is a leading network and digital integrator, and Toshiba Europe have partnered to launch the first quantum-safe networking service in Paris, France. Orange Quantum Defender uses Toshiba’s Quantum Safe Networking technology, which combines Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) with Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) for defence in depth. The service is now commercially available in the greater Paris area.

 In 2017, a Chinese team, along with a group of researchers in Austria, used Micius to perform the world’s first quantum-encrypted virtual teleconference between Beijing and Vienna. In June 2020, the Micius satellite successfully established an ultra-secure link between two ground stations separated by more than 1,000 km. China next planned launching and operating a quantum satellite in a higher orbit (10,000 km above Earth’s surface).

Orange’s quantum-safe network claims to offer the ultimate protection for sensitive data against future quantum computing attacks. Per a Toshiba press release, a leading French financial services company has already connected multiple sites to the network, accessing high-speed, resilient quantum-safe infrastructure to secure its critical financial data.

The continued development of quantum technologies puts sensitive data under threat like never before, as quantum computers are set to render current public key encryption methods insecure. Organizations and enterprises within highly trust-sensitive industries, such as financial services, the public sector, critical infrastructure, and healthcare, are under particular threat from “store now, decrypt later” attacks. This is where sensitive data is collected today and stored by bad actors for decryption when quantum computers become available. To respond to this threat, organizations must take action to fortify their communications now to ensure they remain secure well into the future.

Orange Quantum Defender is provided over the existing Orange commercial fibre network in Paris using Toshiba’s QKD technology. A defence-in-depth principle combines hardware-based QKD and software-based PQC technologies to both protect sensitive data and ensure future data secrecy. The combination of QKD and PQC means organizations can benefit from a multi-layered security approach, providing the most secure network possible.

The quantum safe network follows years of collaboration between Orange and Toshiba in validating QKD for commercial applications. Previous joint tests showed that Toshiba’s QKD technology could successfully scale across long distances at high secret key rates while co-existing with conventional data signals. Not only did this show that QKD could be used by businesses to protect their data in real-life situations today, but that it could easily be deployed on existing fibre networks, lowering barriers to adoption. The new network marks a fundamental step not only in protecting highly sensitive commercial data but also supports France’s national quantum strategy.