New grant to help Singapore critical services providers, others prepare for quantum threats

SINGAPORE – Organisations will be able to tap a new grant to test new ways of protecting their systems against future quantum computers that could break the encryption securing sensitive information and digital transactions today.

The Quantum-Safe Kickstarter Grant, launched by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), will be open to all organisations, with priority given to owners of critical information infrastructure (CII) such as those in banking and finance, energy and info-communications.

The new support was announced by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on the second day of the Singapore International Cyber Week on Oct 14. The size of the funding has not been disclosed.

“With quantum, we are racing against time to replace cryptography within complex systems... (This) demands an early start,” said Teo.

Quantum-safe systems use cryptographic methods designed to withstand attacks by quantum computers. While it remains uncertain when quantum computers will be powerful enough to break widely used encryption, CSA said organisations need to begin preparing.

The transition will take time because cryptography is embedded across applications, networks and infrastructure, often involving several technology vendors.

“(Organisations) must assess their risks, prioritise their systems and data, and identify areas where current encryption can be broken. They need to... test alternative methods of encryption, and progressively migrate their systems,” said Teo, adding that larger organisations can take several years to move their systems safely.

To that end, CSA also put out a new advisory on Oct 14 to recommend that organisations exposed to quantum threats draw up migration plans by 2027 and complete the transition by 2035, in line with international guidance.

These include organisations holding sensitive information that must remain confidential for years, and those providing services such as communications and digital transactions.

The new advisory comes after CSA had issued guidance to CII owners in June, setting more stringent milestones for them to complete migration of their CII systems by 2031. CII owners also have to submit their formal quantum-safe migration plans to CSA by March 2027, and ensure that newly procured systems support quantum safe technology by January 2028.

The new guidance recommends that organisations with sensitive information assess their exposure, identify their most important systems and discuss available quantum-safe solutions with technology vendors and partners.

When the organisations are ready to trial new methods to become quantum safe, they can tap the grant, which will support pilots lasting up to six months and run from Nov 1, to Oct 31, 2027.

Priority will go to projects addressing common migration challenges, such as identifying the cryptography used across an organisation, migrating an entire application or system, and upgrading older industrial systems.

Participants will have to submit reports detailing what they learnt and the results of their pilots.

Applications are now open and CSA will assess if projects are eligible and can deliver strategic value. The authority may prioritise applications that demonstrate significant impact on Singapore’s cybersecurity ecosystem.

Interested parties can write in to qsafe-kickstarter@csa.gov.sg