Government response has formalized aggressive timelines. The NSA's Commercial National Security Algorithm Suite 2.0 mandates all new national security systems be quantum-safe by January 2027. NIST guidance requires phasing out quantum-vulnerable algorithms after 2030 and disallowing them entirely by 2035. The White House's 2026 Cyber Strategy designates post-quantum cryptography adoption as foundational to federal procurement, with requirements extending to supply chain vendors. The Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act requires federal agencies to inventory vulnerable systems and report migration progress annually.
Private sector readiness remains critically inadequate. IBM's 2025 quantum-safe readiness report shows the global average readiness score at only 25 on a 100-point scale, with over 90% of businesses lacking migration roadmaps. Organizations face immediate "harvest now, decrypt later" threats, where adversaries are collecting encrypted data today for future decryption. Quantum computing will also enable reidentification of currently anonymous datasets, potentially reclassifying deidentified data as personal information under privacy laws. Attorneys should audit client systems for quantum-vulnerable encryption, review federal compliance obligations, and assess data retention policies for harvest-now risks.