Quantum Computing & Cybersecurity for Security Professionals

Name: Quantum Computing & Cybersecurity for Security Professionals
Rating: 4.6 (7 reviews)

Master the quantum threat, NIST PQC standards & Mosca's Theorem - zero physics background required

Created byAdrian Găitan, Reju Kole, Evaluris Solutions

Last updated 5/2026

English

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What you'll learn

Explain how Shor's algorithm breaks RSA, ECDH, and DSA — and why increasing key size provides zero protection against a quantum computer
Apply Mosca's Theorem to score your organisation's quantum risk and produce a prioritised 30/90/365-day migration action plan by role
Identify every cryptographic algorithm at risk across TLS, VPN, SSH, PKI, and code signing — and map each one to its exact quantum threat level
Explain how Harvest Now, Decrypt Later attacks work and why data encrypted today under RSA or ECDH may already be in an adversary's archive
Interpret NIST FIPS 203/204/205, NSA CNSA 2.0, EU DORA, and NIS2 quantum mandates and their binding compliance deadlines by jurisdiction
Communicate quantum security risk to boards and executives using business-impact language without requiring any technical background

Course content

8 sections • 32 lectures • 10h 17m total length

Why You Are Here Right Now: The Regulatory Wake-Up Call20:02
Act now to meet enforceable quantum safe obligations across the US, EU, and UK by adopting post-quantum standards, ensuring cryptographic agility, and following four phases: discover, assess, migrate, govern.
The Two Headlines That Started Everything19:07
From Shor's 1994 algorithm to the August 2024 NIST post-quantum cryptography standards (FIPS 203-205), this module explains the urgency and migration toward quantum-safe cryptography.
What a Quantum Computer Actually Is (And What It Isn't)20:06
Dispel myths about quantum computing, explain its physical principles, and provide a precise map of vulnerable cryptosystems—RSA, ECC, Diffie-Hellman—and post-quantum defenses for security professionals.
A Security Professional's Map of the Quantum Threat21:43
Map the quantum threat across the enterprise by outlining Shor’s and Grover’s effects on RSA, ECC, and DH, and detailing immediate and long-term post-quantum migration for PKI, cloud, and vendors.
Quiz - Section 1

Classical Bits vs Qubits: The Fundamental Difference19:11
Compare classical bits and qubits, detailing superposition, measurement, and interference, and explain how quantum threats impact rsa, elliptic-curve cryptography, aes, and post-quantum cryptography.
Entanglement: Correlated Qubits and Why It Matters18:43
Superposition in Depth: Parallel Computation Explained19:45
Explore how superposition and the Hadamard gate enable quantum parallelism, while interference and Born's rule show how measurement yields speedups, with Grover's algorithm as an example.
Interference: The Mechanism That Produces Correct Answers19:40
Unpack how interference turns quantum superposition into reliable computation by amplifying correct paths and suppressing wrong ones, guiding Shor's and Grover's algorithms and their cryptographic implications.
Quantum Noise, Error Rates, and Why Today's Machines Are Limited20:00
Assess current quantum hardware, its noise and error rates, and the gap to fault-tolerant machines, using NISQ realities and surface-code overhead to frame cryptographic threats.
Quiz - Section 2

The Cryptographic Ecosystem: What Is Actually at Risk19:38
Inventory your enterprise cryptography and map it to quantum risk, prioritizing RSA, ECC, and DH migrations to post-quantum options, and generate a CBOM for action.
The Hard Problems: Why Classical Cryptography Works18:33
Understand how classical cryptography relies on hard problems like factorization and the discrete logarithm. Explore the trapdoor principle and why Shor's algorithm threatens RSA, Diffie-Hellman, and elliptic curve cryptography.
Shor's Algorithm Part 1: The Intuition18:09
Explore Shor's algorithm, a quantum method that factors large integers by reducing to period finding, using quantum parallelism, interference, entanglement, and the quantum Fourier transform to reveal factors.
Shor's Algorithm Part 2: The Security Devastation18:17
Explain how Shor's algorithm replaces classical hardness with polynomial-time factoring, breaking RSA, DSA, ECDSA, and elliptic-curve systems, exposing TLS, VPNs, code signing, and the public-key infrastructure to harvest-now risks.
Grover's Algorithm: The Symmetric Cryptography Problem18:48
Explore how Grover's algorithm delivers a quadratic speedup that halves symmetric-key security. Assess the impact on AES, SHA, and ChaCha20 and prescribe doubling key and hash sizes for post-quantum security.
Other Quantum Algorithms Security Professionals Should Know19:55
Quiz - Section 3

Defining Q-Day: What It Is and What It Isn't17:59
Mosca's Theorem: The Framework Every CISO Must Internalize18:48
Apply Mosca's theorem to quantify quantum risk for security leaders; map X, Y, Z to data retention, migration timelines, and quantum readiness to drive urgent post-quantum cryptography actions.
The Migration Timeline Reality Check19:03
Global Regulatory Deadlines: What Governments Have Legislated20:22
Navigate the global post-quantum cryptography regulatory landscape, from CNSA 2.0 deadlines to EU DORA and NIS 2, and plan, inventory, and migrate to quantum-resistant algorithms.
Quiz - Section 4

The HNDL Attack Model Explained17:55
Understand the hndl attack model—harvest now, decrypt later—and how passive collection begins now, with q-day, making post-quantum cryptography essential today.
Evidence and Attribution: Who Is Likely Doing This19:59
Identify the evidentiary basis for attributing HNDL to state actors, noting bulk encrypted data harvesting by China and Russia and Five Eyes post-quantum warnings.
What Data Is Already in Someone's Archive19:24
Identify the data already captured and at risk under HNDL, prioritize post-quantum migration by data tier, and plan a near-term remediation to curb retroactive exposure.
HNDL as a Present-Day Compliance and Legal Obligation18:54
Regulated organizations must address Hndl risk by migrating from RSA and ECC to post-quantum cryptography, guided by GDPR, DORA, and NIST standards, with board-level risk governance.
Quiz - Section 5

TLS 1.3 and the Web: How HTTPS Gets Broken18:22
VPNs, SSH, and Network Infrastructure20:48
Explore how vpn and ssh, and the broader network, face quantum threats from Shor's algorithm, compromising dh, ecdh, and certificates, planning post-quantum cryptography across surface.
PKI, Code Signing, and Digital Certificates20:55
Examine how public key infrastructure underpins TLS, code signing, and email security, and how quantum attacks on RSA and ECDSA drive a staged migration to post‑quantum PKI with MLDSA.
Quiz - Section 6

Cloud, SaaS, and the Shared Responsibility Model19:09
Post-Quantum Cryptography: The Software Solution19:34
Explore post-quantum cryptography and the four NIST standards—MLChem, MLDSA, SLHDSA, and FNDSA—for secure key exchange and signatures. Understand hybrid deployment and practical TLS, SSH, and PKI integration.
Quantum Key Distribution: The Physics Solution19:06
Hybrid Cryptography: The Pragmatic Transition Strategy18:56
Adopt hybrid cryptography by running classical and post-quantum algorithms in parallel, derive a single session key via HKDF, and secure TLS 1.3 deployments today.
Quiz - Section 7

Requirements

No quantum physics or mathematics background required — every concept is built from first principles with plain-language explanations
No programming or coding experience needed — this is not a development course; it is a security strategy and risk awareness course
Basic familiarity with cybersecurity terminology (encryption, certificates, VPNs, PKI) is helpful but not required to enrol
An open mind toward technical concepts explained at a conceptual level — you will understand the mathematics intuitively, not by calculation
Access to a computer or mobile device to download the 7 supplementary research papers and reference guides included with the course

Description

Quantum computing is not a future problem. Governments have already signed enforceable mandates — NIST FIPS 203/204/205, NSA CNSA 2.0, EU DORA, NIS2 — with hard deadlines. Nation-state adversaries are already harvesting your encrypted traffic today, waiting for the day they can decrypt it. That day has a name: Q-Day.

This course gives security professionals the technical foundation and practical frameworks they need to understand, quantify, and act on the quantum threat — with zero physics or mathematics background required.

You will learn exactly how Shor's algorithm breaks RSA, ECDH, DSA, and every elliptic curve scheme in use today. You will learn why no key size increase protects you. You will learn how Grover's algorithm weakens AES-128 and SHA-256, and what the safe alternatives are right now.

You will master Mosca's Theorem — the risk framework used by CISOs and government agencies worldwide — and apply it to your own organisation to produce a scored, prioritised migration plan.

You will understand Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL): why data encrypted today under classical cryptography may already be sitting in an adversary's archive, and why this creates present-day compliance liability under GDPR Article 32, DORA, and NIS2.

You will map every vulnerable algorithm — TLS 1.3, IPsec, SSH, PKI, code signing, DNSSEC, S/MIME — to its quantum threat level, and understand exactly what breaks and what survives.

The course includes 7 supplementary papers in LaTeX for students who want the formal mathematics, 7 downloadable reference guides, section quizzes, and a capstone assessment with certificate of completion.

No prior quantum knowledge needed. If you manage, architect, or secure systems that rely on cryptography — this course is your mandate briefing.

Who this course is for:

Security professionals — SOC analysts, security engineers, penetration testers — who need to assess and communicate the quantum threat to their organisation's cryptographic infrastructure
CISOs, IT managers, and security architects responsible for planning post-quantum cryptography migrations and presenting quantum risk to boards, executives, and audit committees
Compliance officers and risk managers working under GDPR, DORA, NIS2, HIPAA, or CNSA 2.0 who need to understand quantum-related regulatory obligations and enforcement timelines
IT administrators and infrastructure engineers who manage TLS, PKI, VPN, SSH, or code signing systems and need to assess which components are quantum-vulnerable and in what order to migrate them
Security consultants and advisors who need a rigorous, up-to-date briefing on the quantum threat to present to clients or incorporate into risk assessments and security roadmaps
Professionals preparing for post-quantum cryptography certifications or seeking foundational knowledge before progressing to the NIST FIPS 203/204/205/206 implementation courses in this track

Quantum Computing & Cybersecurity for Security Professionals

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Course content

The Quantum Threat: Context Before Code4 lectures • 1hr 21min

Quantum Mechanics for Security Professionals5 lectures • 1hr 37min

How Quantum Computing Breaks Modern Cryptography6 lectures • 1hr 53min

Q-Day, Mosca's Theorem, and the Real Timeline4 lectures • 1hr 16min

Harvest Now, Decrypt Later4 lectures • 1hr 16min

The Cryptographic Infrastructure Under Threat3 lectures • 1hr

The Solution Landscape4 lectures • 1hr 17min

Action, Application, and Where to Go Next2 lectures • 36min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: