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Training Camp • Cybersecurity Glossary
Harvest now, decrypt later (HNDL) is an attack where adversaries store encrypted data today to decrypt it later with future quantum computers.
Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL) Definition: Harvest now, decrypt later (HNDL) is an attack where adversaries store encrypted data today to decrypt it later with future quantum computers.
Harvest now, decrypt later (HNDL), also called store-now-decrypt-later, is an attack strategy in which an adversary captures and stores encrypted data today with the intent of decrypting it in the future once a sufficiently powerful quantum computer becomes available. It targets information with a long secrecy lifetime, such as state secrets, medical records, and intellectual property, that must remain confidential for years or decades. The threat is the primary driver behind the urgency to migrate to post-quantum cryptography. Organizations mitigate it by adopting quantum-resistant algorithms before large-scale quantum computers arrive.
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