Quantum threat to Australia’s digital infrastructure

As the administrator of the .au domain name system (critical Australian infrastructure) auDA takes security seriously. This Cyber Security Awareness Month (2025), we turn our attention to quantum computing and what it means for the future of online security.

Professor Robin Doss of Deakin University, whose team received a $1 million auDA R&D Grant for their 'Safe transition to a quantum-safe DNS' project, shares his expert perspective on the benefits and major future risk the technology poses. Professor Robin writes:

Modern workplaces and new ways of working have increased our dependence on the internet like never before. The availability of an open, free, secure and global internet is now a ubiquitous expectation and enabler for business, government and the community. The need to ensure its ongoing availability and trustworthiness is paramount.

As the world grapples with the impact of new and emerging technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence), the digital ecosystem must prepare now for its next major disruption: the quantum computer.

Quantum computers represent a paradigm shift in computing as they leverage the principles of quantum mechanics to solve complex problems very fast, even exponentially faster than what is possible with classical computers.

While quantum computers are not yet scaled for real world applications, the technology has undergone a steady evolution over the past decade. For example, Google recently introduced its latest quantum chip that is claimed to be capable of performing benchmark computation substantially faster than today’s fastest supercomputer. This progress indicates that the practical realisation of a quantum computer is not far away. It is also widely accepted that there are classified developments by nation-states in this field.

Quantum computers with their new way of handling and processing information are exciting for many sectors. For example, quantum computers have the potential to positively impact drug discovery, climate modelling, material science, and others. However, quantum computers also represent a negative disruption to digital infrastructure that uses encryption to protect data and digital signatures to validate data.

Mathematical puzzles that form the basis of widely used cyber security mechanisms are in-built into today’s digital ecosystems. These puzzles are virtually infeasible to solve using classical computers. However, with the capabilities a quantum computer brings, solving these equations would be easy. This is known as the ‘Quantum Threat’.

To help prevent this possibility, the wider research and standardisation communities are developing new quantum-safe solutions that can withstand cyberattacks conducted with the aid of a quantum computer, known as post quantum cryptographic (PQC) algorithms. PQCs are mathematical formulations for encryption and digital signatures on classical computers that are resistant to cryptographic attacks using a quantum computer. PQC algorithms are important as they provide the ability to future-proof our systems against the quantum threat.

While standardisation of PQC algorithms is important, fully understanding the impact of their adoption within existing digital infrastructure(s) is also equally important. For instance, a system that plays a key role in the global internet enabling modern digital applications and services is the Domain Name System (DNS). The DNS serves as a distributed directory for the internet supporting the seamless direction of web traffic to the correct servers. However, the impact of PQC algorithms on the DNS and its underlying protocols is yet to be fully understood. Hence the need for research and development to safely transition the DNS to a quantum-safe state.

The DNS translates easy-to-remember domain names (e.g., www.auda.org.au) to corresponding internet protocol (IP) addresses, providing ease of accessibility for internet users. To support the secure communication of IP addresses to users, DNS makes use of digital signatures to validate DNS responses. However, these signatures are at risk of being compromised once quantum computers with sufficient power are realised (referred to as a cryptographically relevant quantum computer). If the signatures in DNS are compromised, then users could be directed to illegitimate servers creating a significant opportunity for cybercrime, presenting a real threat to the internet community.

A team of researchers at Deakin Cyber, with the support of auDA’s Research and Development (R&D) Grant Program, is currently undertaking an exciting three-year research project to develop a robust migration strategy to secure the DNS with PQC algorithms. Since PQC algorithms are vastly different to classical algorithms, the project will study the impact of these new algorithms on the DNS protocol, propose necessary modifications, and devise a robust, safe, and practical approach for shifting to a quantum-safe DNS. The team is currently setting up an internet-scale testing environment to explore how quantum-safe DNS could work in practice – a crucial step towards understanding how to securely transition to this next-generation technology.

Quantum computers are expected to revolutionise many fields, but they also pose a significant threat to current digital infrastructure, particularly core systems like the DNS. In response, Deakin Cyber and auDA are working together to examine and future-proof DNS, a critical component of the internet, to ensure it remains secure in a post-quantum world.

The views expressed are the author’s own.