Quantum Insider: 2026 is the Year of Quantum Security as encryption timelines compress

Recent research has reduced the estimated quantum resources needed to break elliptic curve cryptography by roughly 20 times compared to prior estimates, with some scenarios now projected below 500,000 physical qubits. Cloudflare reports over 65% of human traffic already protected by post-quantum methods. The Year of Quantum Security was officially launched in Washington DC in January 2026 with participation from the FBI, CISA, and NIST.

In this domain: Ransomware Q1 2026: volumes flat, fragmentation rising, data-theft extortion replacing encryption · EC encryption technology roadmap for law enforcement data access due Q2 2026 · Google Quantum AI study finds RSA encryption breakable with fewer qubits than assumed, compressing Q Day timeline