Step 1 for Post-Quantum Cryptography Transition is Inventory: The Five Pillars of Cryptographic Discovery & Inventory.
Asset Encryption Scanning
Inventory encryption on IT assets and build your CBOM.
Scan IT & IoT Assets for Hidden Encryption and CBOM Readiness
This pillar focuses on identifying encryption across your entire fleet of IT and IoT assets—laptops, servers, mobile devices, embedded systems, and more. These assets often store or process sensitive data, yet the encryption protecting them is frequently undocumented or misunderstood.
QryptoCyber scans these systems to discover how and where encryption is used—capturing ciphers, key lengths, certificates, protocols, and cryptographic libraries.
The result is a machine-readable Cryptographic Bill of Materials (CBOM) that becomes the foundation for risk analysis, remediation planning, and quantum-safe upgrades.
In many cases, IT assets such as laptops, mobile devices, and IoT systems use a mix of encryption protocols that may vary depending on their purpose or operating system. Organizations must:
Inventory all encryption mechanisms on endpoints
Ensure that encryption is applied to protect sensitive data stored on devices, such as employee laptops or mobile devices.
01
Review IoT encryption:
Outdated protocols like SSL and older versions of TLS should be flagged and replaced with quantum-resistant alternatives.
02
Ensure server-side encryption:
Critical data stored on servers should be encrypted both at rest and in transit. Outdated algorithms such as AES-128 should be upgraded to stronger quantum-safe standards, such as AES-256.
03
Cataloging and Securing Cryptographic Assets:
The final phase of the cryptographic inventory process is cryptographic identification. This step ensures that all cryptographic elements, from keys to algorithms, are properly cataloged and assessed for security.
Recognize how endpoints, IoT devices, and servers use encryption and for what purposes
Encryption is everywhere in your network: applications, databases, hardware… well everything.
Solution Architecture
External (either Software As A Service, Private Cloud, Customer Provided environment), internally hosted as a docker image or consultant managed.
IT Assets Scan
Endpoints: Laptops/Desktops, Servers, Routers, Switches, Firewalls, Storage Devices, Printers/Scanners
Software Assets
OS, Applications, Cloud Services, Security software, Virtual Machines
IoT Assets
Phone OS, Cameras, Smart Devices, Connected keychains or location trackers, HVAC, Medical devices, Environmental Sensors, Gateways, Point-of-sale (POS) systems, Smart projectors and multimedia systems
IIoT
Programmable logic controllers (PLCs), Industrial robots and autonomous systems, Smart sensors (e.g., temperature, pressure, and motion sensors), SCADA systems (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)
Starting is the easiest part.
The problem won’t get easier with time. The first step is both the simplest and easiest. Put your foot on the path and start walking to the post quantum future.