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12 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2022 e foundational pillars behind an un-hack- able system are hardware, soware, data, com- puting, communication, human, and integra- tion. Each of these pillars must surpass the anticipated capabilities of potential hackers. A holistic cybersecurity needs to embrace all types of security capabilities including: • Critical infrastructure security • Application security • Network security • Cloud security • Edge (IoT) security A lso in my 2013 column, I mentioned, "Under a savvy and diligent governing board oversight, a cyber culture can be cultivated over time w ith per sistent and per vasive effort by considering the following 20 action- able items." e 20th item called out in that article was to "Keep pace with emerging tech- nologies." Omnipotent Technologies What are game-changing technologies behind the cybersecurity capabilities? Take artificial intelligence as an illustration. I'm reluctant to mention the phrase "artificial intelligence" as lately it has become household vernacular. However, AI brings "ammunition" against attacks. In practice, AI and comput- ing power are intimately intertwined. With the recent acceleration of computing power, the advancement of AI is expected to gain momen- tum, although fundamental breakthroughs must still be made to reach the next level of performance. is emerging technology also comes with risks as AI enables another level of attack abili- ties. e logical question is what the plausible strategies and methodologies are to integrate AI into the security infrastructure in a timely fashion that will fend off an AI-empowered attack. It is worth noting that defense is one thing and offense is another; one must be able to go on the offensive as well as defend. Another illustration is quantum mechan- ics. While "quantum" has also been over- used as well, it works here. A quantum com- puter's omnipotent computing power, in vir- tue of quantum's "quirky and spooky" nature of superposition and entanglement, can solve problems that are far too complex for classical computers and supercomputers to figure out in a finite timeframe. Even the processors with trillions of transistors are falling way behind. e potential impact of quantum computing on cybersecurity is profound and is expected to transform cybersecurity and change the global landscape. Its anticipated capabilities pose a significant threat to cybersecurity infra- structure, as it can disrupt current encryption systems, requiring a change in how the data are encrypted. is includes solving the algo- rithms behind encryption keys that protect the data and the internet's infrastructure. e public key cryptosystem, RSA, has been widely used for secure data transmission. As of now, not one individual, company, or coun- try has reached or even is near to the level of the computing capability in qubits required to totally disrupt the current encryption sys- tem. Reportedly, a quantum computer would need to be as large as 70 million qubits to break that encryption. IBM 1 and Google 2 , among others, have roadmaps to achieve 1 million qubits by 2030. Nonetheless, indisputably, a leader in quantum computing holds the omnip- otent key. e competitive race is fiercely marching on. The foundational pillars behind an un-hackable system are hardware, software, data, computing, communication, human, and integration.