, /PRNewswire/ — The White House today issued Executive Order 14409 on post-quantum cryptography (PQC), elevating PQC as a critical security priority as we enter the quantum era.
“This Executive Order marks a new era in America’s cyber defense posture,” said Jack Hidary, CEO of SandboxAQ. “The United States government is drawing a clear line in the sand: We must harden our defenses against quantum threats now. SandboxAQ is committed to partnering with federal agencies, including the Department of War and NIST in the Department of Commerce, to modernize our nation’s cryptography at speed and scale, and ensure that adversaries never hold the keys to our critical infrastructure or national defense as Q-Day approaches.”
The Executive Order sets binding milestones for the federal government’s transition to NIST-standardized post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Agencies must designate a PQC migration lead within 30 days, inventory their high-value assets and high-impact systems, and move those systems to post-quantum on specific timelines starting now. The order also directs CISA and NIST to define a cryptographic bill of materials that enables automated assessment of an agency’s cryptographic assets, and calls for new federal acquisition rules requiring covered contractors to meet NIST’s post-quantum standards by the end of 2030. This mandate also covers all private-sector government contractors, who must now adhere to the same PQC transition deadlines as federal agencies.
“This Executive Order is a decisive signal that cybersecurity must advance with AI and quantum capabilities,” said Ron Ash, CEO of Accenture Federal Services. “The emergence of highly capable, cyber-focused AI models demands that we bridge the gap between commercial innovation and federal mission needs, evaluating these technologies before deployment to protect our nation’s most sensitive environments. We are committed to evolving both our AI safeguards and cryptographic systems to maintain a strategic advantage, and our work with SandboxAQ ensures America’s critical infrastructure will outpace future technological threats.”
The Executive Order responds to a threat that is already in motion as Q-Day approaches. Q-Day refers to the moment when large-scale quantum computers are expected to break public-key cryptography, which protects the vast majority of the nation’s sensitive data, critical infrastructure, and digital economy. Given the years required to inventory, modernize, and replace cryptographic systems, the transition must begin now. The danger is not purely future-facing: even today, foreign adversaries can intercept and store encrypted U.S. data in order to decrypt it later, once a cryptographically relevant quantum computer (CRQC) comes online. This “harvest now, decrypt later” attack means that information being exfiltrated at this moment, including defense communications, financial records, intelligence, and personal data, remains at risk, regardless of how strong today’s encryption appears.
SandboxAQ raised this alarm early, publishing a paper in Nature on what PQC means for organizations, and working with federal agencies and companies to implement what the Executive Order now requires.
This Executive Order reflects a broader industry shift already underway. Through its work with providers like Crowdstrike and Palo Alto Networks, SandboxAQ can help organizations identify cryptographic risk and accelerate migration to quantum-safe security. At the same time, technology leaders such as Google and Cloudflare are accelerating the deployment of quantum-safe capabilities across internet infrastructure. Together, these developments signal a growing consensus that post-quantum cryptography has moved from planning to implementation.
To learn more about what the PQC Executive Order means for your organization, visit https://www.aqtiveguard.com/
About SandboxAQ
SandboxAQ is a B2B company delivering solutions at the intersection of AI and quantum techniques. The company’s Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) deliver critical advances in life sciences, financial services, navigation, and other sectors. SandboxAQ is an independent, growth-backed company funded by leading investors and strategic partners, including funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc., Google, Alger, IQT, US Innovative Technology Fund, S32, Paladin Capital, Eric Schmidt, Breyer Capital, Ray Dalio, Marc Benioff, Thomas Tull, and others. For more information, visit www.sandboxaq.com.
SOURCE SandboxAQ
