Crypto Agility: Cool in Theory, Daunting in Practice. How to Pitch It?
In cybersecurity, crypto agility has emerged as a buzzword, particularly in conversations around post-quantum cryptography (PQC). It is positioned as a critical capability, allowing organisations to seamlessly adapt cryptographic systems in response to new threats. In theory, it sounds like an elegant and forward-thinking approach.
However, in practice, crypto agility is incredibly difficult to implement, and most organisations struggle to even complete a single cryptographic migration, let alone maintain the ability to continuously adapt.
With the impending arrival of quantum computing, companies are already facing the daunting task of transitioning away from vulnerable cryptographic schemes, such as RSA and ECC. Many view this as a one-time upgrade rather than an ongoing security requirement. This mindset needs to change.The challenge for security leaders, consultants, and solution providers is how to effectively pitch crypto agility to organisations that are already overwhelmed by the sheer complexity of moving to PQC. To make it a realistic priority, we need to present it not as an abstract ideal, but as an achievable and necessary security strategy.
What is Crypto Agility?
At its core, crypto agility refers to an organisation’s ability to switch cryptographic algorithms without major disruption. Instead of being locked into a single cryptographic standard, crypto-agile systems are designed to adapt dynamically, whether due to:
Quantum threats - Once large-scale quantum computers emerge, they will render classical encryption obsolete. Crypto agility ensures systems can transition to quantum-resistant algorithms before this happens.
New cryptographic vulnerabilities - History has repeatedly shown that cryptographic schemes once considered secure can be broken. Crypto agility allows organisations to rapidly swap out compromised algorithms.
Regulatory and compliance changes - Governments and industry bodies frequently update cryptographic standards. A crypto-agile organisation can meet evolving security requirements without major overhauls.
Future-proofing for new threats - As technology evolves, adversaries develop new attack vectors. A crypto-agile infrastructure ensures long-term resilience in an unpredictable security landscape.
From a technical perspective, crypto agility requires a lot of infrastructure. One example being modular cryptographic frameworks, allowing systems to replace algorithms without rewriting applications.Hardware and software abstraction layers are also a necessity for crypto-agility, ensuring cryptographic updates do not impact overall system functionality. Strong key management systems (KMS) and hardware security modules (HSMs) are a must to securely handle cryptographic transitions. Hybrid cryptographic approaches, running both classical and quantum-resistant algorithms in parallel to ease migration, are needed to ensure no breaking changes occur during the migration.Despite the clear benefits, most organisations struggle to prioritise and implement crypto agility.
Why Most Companies Struggle with Crypto Agility
While cybersecurity professionals may see crypto agility as a necessity, the reality is that most organisations find it overwhelming. The primary obstacles include:
1. Legacy Infrastructure and Hardcoded Cryptography
Many enterprises still rely on legacy systems with deeply embedded cryptographic dependencies. These systems were not designed to be flexible, making cryptographic transitions extremely difficult. Hardcoded cryptographic primitives in applications, databases, and network protocols create significant migration challenges.
2. Resource and Expertise Constraints
Implementing crypto agility requires specialised cryptographic expertise, which is in short supply. Most security teams are focused on immediate operational risks, leaving cryptographic upgrades as a low-priority concern.
3. Operational and Business Risks
Unlike other security upgrades, cryptographic changes impact foundational security mechanisms. The risk of disrupting critical business operations leads to hesitation. Many executives prefer a “wait-and-see” approach rather than proactively addressing the issue.
4. Lack of Regulatory Pressure and Industry Alignment
While organisations recognise the importance of PQC, many industries lack clear guidelines on crypto agility. This leads to delayed decision-making, as companies wait for government mandates or industry-wide adoption before acting.
5. The “One-and-Done” Mindset
Most businesses approach PQC adoption as a single migration rather than an ongoing requirement. They see it as a necessary but isolated upgrade, rather than an ongoing strategy of adaptability. This makes pitching crypto agility even harder.
Given these barriers, the key to selling crypto agility is to make it feel less overwhelming and more actionable.
How to Make Crypto Agility More Accessible
Instead of presenting crypto agility as a complex and unattainable goal, organisations need to see it as a structured, phased process that can be integrated into existing security strategies. Some practical ways to ease adoption include:
Cloud providers are increasingly offering cryptographic abstraction layers that allow organisations to switch algorithms without overhauling their applications. This significantly reduces the complexity of managing cryptographic agility in-house.
Implement the Latest TLS Standards with Hybrid Key Exchange
Ensuring that systems support TLS 1.3+ with hybrid post-quantum key exchanges enables a gradual and secure transition to quantum-resistant encryption while maintaining backward compatibility.
Pluggable Crypto Modules or APIs - Designing systems with algorithm-agnostic cryptographic libraries allows for smoother transitions.
Adopt a Hybrid Cryptographic Approach
Rather than a sudden shift to PQC, organisations should run classical and post-quantum algorithms in parallel. This ensures resilience while allowing security teams to test new implementations without disrupting business operations.
Automate Cryptographic Discovery and Inventory Management
Many organisations don’t even know where cryptographic algorithms are used across their infrastructure. Implementing cryptographic inventory tools helps businesses identify and upgrade their cryptographic dependencies systematically.
Position Crypto Agility as a Business Enabler, Not Just a Security Feature
To gain executive buy-in, crypto agility should not be framed solely as a security requirement. Instead, highlight how it:
Reduces long-term security costs by preventing major cryptographic overhauls.
Ensures compliance with evolving regulations, avoiding penalties and legal risks.
Protects brand reputation by preventing encryption-related security breaches.
Maintains business continuity, ensuring cryptographic agility doesn’t disrupt core operations.
Conclusion: Crypto Agility as a Strategic Imperative
Crypto agility is not just a technical challenge, it’s a fundamental shift in how organisations approach cryptographic security.
While the concept of crypto agility is widely accepted, its implementation remains daunting for most businesses. Overcoming this challenge requires breaking it down into manageable steps, leveraging cloud-based solutions, adopting hybrid cryptography, and positioning it as a business enabler rather than an abstract security goal.
The era of quantum threats is not a distant future, it is approaching rapidly. Organisations that fail to prioritise crypto agility today will find themselves scrambling to secure their systems when it’s already too late.
The key takeaway? Crypto agility is not an option: it’s a necessity. And with the right approach, it doesn’t have to be impossible.
How ExeQuantum Helps
At ExeQuantum, we make crypto agility practical by ensuring that businesses don’t have to shoulder the burden of constant cryptographic updates. As a cloud-based API, our PQCaaS (Post-Quantum Cryptography as a Service) is designed to beframework-agnostic and seamlessly updatable, allowing us to enhance and refine post-quantum algorithms without requiring any action from our clients. As new cryptographic standards evolve, we handle the heavy lifting: updating implementations, optimising performance, and ensuring security compliance, so businesses can remain quantum-safe without disruption. This proactive approach removes a significant operational challenge, making crypto agility not just an aspiration but an effortless reality.
