Building upon the first Network Information and Security (NIS) Directive of 2016, the European Union issued the NIS 2 directive, mandating critical infrastructure, including railways, take appropriate measures to manage risks posed to network security. 

Compliance deadlines begin in late 2024, making it a top priority for rail operators. In a data-driven environment, the communications network serves as the first line of cyber-defense, ensuring the confidentiality, integrity and availability (CIA) of network data.

While cryptography has long been a reliable defense against network attacks, the advent of quantum computers has fundamentally changed the cybersecurity landscape. Quantum computers have the capabilities to break current common cryptography methods. Adversaries and cyber criminals can also employ the harvest now, decrypt later (HNDL) strategy to eavesdrop data now for future attacks.

Key Learnings:

• How to safeguard the CIA trio in the quantum era today

• Practical steps to deploy Quantum-Safe Networks across rail infrastructure now

• A multi-layer quantum-safe networking blueprint that ensures long-term security

• A Research and Education Network’s journey in deploying quantum key distribution (QKD) to protect critical infrastructure