New Encryption Shields Against Quantum Hacks

Researchers develop quantum-safe encryption system to protect digital content from next-gen cyberattacks.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Researchers have developed a quantum-safe encryption system designed to protect digital content from the next generation of cyberattacks fueled by advances in artificial intelligence and quantum computing. The breakthrough method combines quantum encryption with secure internet transmission to guard against both traditional hacking and future quantum computer attacks.

Why it matters

As powerful quantum computers could eventually crack today's encryption standards, exposing financial systems, government communications, health data and digital media to large-scale hacking and fraud, this new encryption system provides a critical safeguard against emerging quantum threats.

The details

The FIU research team's method transports videos in a digital "lockbox" that scrambles data using cryptographic keys that only authorized users can decode. In testing, the system performed 10-15% better than comparable advanced encryption techniques, significantly reducing exploitable data patterns that hackers rely on to decode protected files.

  • The research was funded by the U.S. Army Research Office and published in IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics.
  • In 2025, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre advised large institutions to modernize their cryptographic systems by 2035 in anticipation of quantum-enabled threats.

The players

S.S. Iyengar

Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences Professor and director of the Digital Forensic Center of Excellence at FIU, who led the research.

Yashas Hariprasad

An assistant professor of computer science at California State University, East Bay who was a doctoral candidate on the FIU team at the time of the research.

Naveen Kumar Chaudhary

From India's National Forensic Sciences University, who collaborated on the research.

QNU Labs

A cybersecurity company specializing in quantum technologies, that the researchers are collaborating with to advance the platform toward commercial application.

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What they’re saying

“Think of a regular computer hack as someone trying to pick a traditional door lock – it could take days, even years, to try every combination. But a quantum computer hack is like having a key that could try multiple combinations simultaneously. This is what makes quantum threats so powerful.”

— S.S. Iyengar, Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences Professor and director of the Digital Forensic Center of Excellence at FIU

What’s next

The team is also scaling the technology to encrypt full-length video files and real-time streams, including video conferencing and surveillance systems.

The takeaway

This new quantum-safe encryption system provides a critical safeguard against emerging quantum threats that could expose sensitive digital content to large-scale hacking and fraud, underscoring the urgent need for organizations to proactively modernize their cryptographic systems.