HAPKIDO: for quantum-safe Public Key Infrastructures

Without preparation, sensitive data currently protected by encryption schemes will become accessible. The communication infrastructure will be disrupted, and our transactions and information will be vulnerable to criminals. This will affect countless organisations and millions of people.

To protect digital societies, quantum-safe trust services, including their underlying PKIs, are critical. Scientific and technical breakthroughs are required in quantum-safe cryptography, PKI development and migration architectures. In HAPKIDO TNO collaborates with TU Delft, CWI, Logius, KPN, Microsoft and Zynyo to accelerate these developments. The project is financed by the NWO.

Developing and migrating towards quantum-safe PKIs is not just a technical problem. Every organisation – and every sector – has its own unique organisational landscape, with associated financial, governance and technological characteristics.

The challenges of legacy systems and the many choices involved in quantum-safe development can also cause delays in the transition. Yet it is critical for organisations – such as those in finance, healthcare, the public sector and more - to begin preparing for quantum-safe solutions.

HAPKIDO will deliver sector-based plans that help organisations transition towards quantum-safe PKIs, including hybrid PKIs that demonstrate how quantum-safe solutions will work with existing infrastructures, and governance models that guide organisations towards a quantum-safe future. HAPKIDO is already sharing insights with frontrunners in the telecom, financial and public sectors.

The scientific breakthroughs expected in this project include contributions to quantum-safe security proofs, quantum-safe PKI designs, PKI migration architectures and strategies, and growth paths towards a quantum-safe infrastructure. Dissemination will be accelerated through a massive open online course, an awareness game, and via workshops hosted by the partners.