Quo Vadis Qubit? Security in the quantum computing era

Imagine that in a few years from now a full-scale, practical quantum computer hits the headlines. In this apocalyptic scenario, the world of cryptography will be in a state of shock, since almost everything we know as the foundations of current security will collapse. Indeed, the presence of a quantum computer would render state-of-the-art, public-key cryptography useless, simply because all the underlying assumptions about the intractability of mathematical problems that offer confident levels of security today are tractable for a quantum computer. But are we really doomed? Is cryptography dead? Well, luckily no. This paper examines the technologies that will enable crypto to survive the post-apocalyptic world of quantum computing. There are many things yet to be done to offer an equivalently safe environment as current crypto does, but the tools are there. It is now a game of engineering, pro-active standardization, ingenious mathematics and careful development approach to pave a safe way through the "qubits inferno".