City explores quantum technology to protect critical infrastructure from emerging cyber threats

As advances in quantum computing usher in new cybersecurity threats across the globe, the City of Calgary is exploring how the technology could help protect critical municipal infrastructure from increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.

At the city’s Wave Tech Centre on Friday morning, technology experts demonstrated how quantum-based security systems can protect the transmission of sensitive information and detect attempts by hackers to intercept it.

The demonstration was part of the Quantum City Global Challenge, an international initiative led by Quantum City in partnership with the City of Calgary and Numana, that aims to explore how quantum technology can help strengthen the security and resilience of critical infrastructure.

Jason Cameron, program manager at the Wave Tech Centre, said the city wants to better understand how ready these emerging technologies are for real-world use as cybersecurity threats continue to evolve.

“What we’re hearing today is how (close) nefarious actors are to being quantum ready,” Cameron said. “What we’re trying to do is better understand how commercial-ready are solutions.

“It gives us a chance to pilot those new technologies and say, in our future budgeting processes, quantum security might be one of the options we’re pursuing.”

For municipalities, the need to bolster cybersecurity extends beyond protecting personal information to safeguarding the mechanisms used to control municipal systems. For example, the network of sensors and automated systems Calgary relies on to monitor infrastructure and deliver essential services, from measuring water levels along the Bow River to managing traffic signals requires security measures.

While protecting the data collected by those systems is important, Cameron said an even greater concern is the possibility of hackers gaining control of the infrastructure.

The potential consequences are exposed by recent cyberattacks in France, where hundreds of supermarkets had their refrigeration systems disabled, forcing stores to discard millions of dollars worth of spoiled food.

“If we were ever hacked, like we saw actually in Europe last month . . . what would happen if that was our dam controls and gates were opened, or if it shut down a power plant?” Cameron said.

“Our exploration with quantum is a way to stay ahead of that.”

Dr. Chris Erven, founder of KETS Quantum Security, echoed those concerns, warning that cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure could create chaos.

“You can have someone remotely shut down, or monkey with, your water system,” Erven said. “If you start to think about electricity grids, nuclear power plants, I mean, even just monkeying with the safety systems in there . . . can cause all sorts of issues.”

Erven said the potential consequences become even more serious when attacks target major provincial or national systems, pointing to cyberattacks on Ukraine’s electricity infrastructure as a real-world example of how malicious actors have already demonstrated their ability to disrupt essential services.

The Quantum City Global Challenge attracted applications from eight countries, with Toshiba selected as the global winner and KETS named the startup winner.

Cameron said the initiative gives Calgary an opportunity to test emerging security solutions using existing municipal infrastructure, and assess whether the technology is sufficiently developed for broader deployment.