QUANTUM THREATS AND DIGITAL SOVEREIGNTY:
WHY INDIA MUST REINVENT SECURITY BEFORE THE NEXT CYBER WAR

At a time when the world is witnessing crippling cyberattacks, a stark reminder resounds: the battlefield of tomorrow is not just on land, sea, or air—it’s in cyberspace. Ongoing attacks at major European airports, causing widespread delays, demonstrate how fragile digital systems truly are. Yet these incidents are only the beginning. The real threat lies deeper, in the vulnerabilities of national digital assets and the technologies that protect them.

Wars are no longer fought solely with boots crossing borders. The latest conflict unfolded differently from those of the past—missiles flew without pilots crossing lines. In the future, these same missiles could be hijacked mid-flight if encryption fails. The culprit? Quantum computing.

Today’s encryption depends on multiplying massive prime numbers—seemingly unbreakable by traditional computers. To crack a 2048-bit key would take eight billion years. But a quantum computer could reduce that to just six hours. That means everything—passwords, WhatsApp messages, financial transactions, even missile codes—could be exposed. In such a scenario, the risk is not merely delayed flights but the terrifying possibility of a hijacked nuclear missile.

Recognising this, the Government of India has set up a high-level committee under the Department of Science and Technology to secure the nation’s digital future. The stakes are nothing short of sovereignty itself. Whether it is sensitive government discussions, financial markets, or nuclear power plants, India’s digital backbone is under siege from future threats that quantum power makes real today.

The message is unambiguous: digital sovereignty is now as vital as territorial integrity. The urgency of action cannot be overstated. India cannot afford a future where a missile fired from Rajasthan returns to strike within its own borders. Protecting national assets requires rethinking encryption, preparing for quantum disruptions and building indigenous security frameworks that anticipate threats rather than merely respond to them.

The constructive outlook is encouraging: the government is mobilising resources, scientific bodies are preparing strategies and citizens are steadily being educated against scams. What is needed now is speed, innovation and strong collaboration across sectors. Each layer of society—policy, industry, research and civil society—must rise together to secure India’s digital destiny.

In the coming years, sovereignty will not be decided only by armies and borders but by how well nations secure their digital foundations. The call to action is clear: India must act decisively—before the next war is fought and possibly not lost, in cyberspace.