Cyberagentur Expert at PITS 2026
The Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH (Cyberagentur) is participating as a partner in PITS 2026 and contributing its expertise on quantum technologies to the “Doctor Quantum” panel. Dr. Daniel Reiche will discuss how public networks can become quantum-secure in a timely manner. The interview addresses risks, protection options, and research programs.
On the panel “Doctor Quantum – New Technologies for Secure Public Networks,” Dr. Daniel Reiche, Head of the Quantum Technology Unit at the Cyberagentur, Dr. Matthias Peter, Head of the Cryptography and Classified IT Management Division at the BSI, Dr. Michael Littger, Strategy Director at cyberintelligence.institute, and Thomas Maxeiner, Director of Technical Solutions for the Public Sector in Germany at Palo Alto Networks, will discuss how the government and public administration can prepare public networks for a technological development that could fundamentally transform encryption, sensor technology, and secure communication.
With Dr. Daniel Reiche, the Cyberagentur brings its expert perspective on quantum technologies to PITS 2026. Dr. Reiche has been Head of the Quantum Technology Unit in the Key Technologies Unit at the Cyberagentur since February 1, 2026. A theoretical physicist with a Ph.D., he works at the intersection of quantum optics, quantum technologies, quantum sensor technology, technology transfer, and security policy assessment.
Three Questions for Dr. Daniel Reiche
Administrative data that is encrypted today can already be intercepted and stored. How great is the risk that such data will later be decrypted using powerful quantum computers?
Large enough to warrant action. There is consensus among most experts, from research to politics, that quantum computers could develop cryptographically relevant capabilities within the next few years. However, part of the strategic work at the Cyberagentur is also to distinguish marketing from reality. In addition to concrete preparations for so-called Q-Day—that is, when decryption by quantum computers becomes possible—we are therefore also placing a greater focus on specific application scenarios. Beyond simple expectations of what might happen, we want to know exactly when that time will come and how we will shape it.
Post-quantum security sounds like cryptography. In reality, however, it affects networks, procurement, standards, legacy systems, and critical administrative data. Where do you see the public sector’s greatest vulnerability?
Possibly in the misconception that IT is not a necessary evil, but the core of modern administration. Solutions can only be developed through cross-functional approaches and, in some cases, significant effort. This is difficult for everyone. At the Cyberagentur, we use structures for interdisciplinary exchange as standard practice. The answer to current questions is not post-quantum security alone. However, it can become a relevant factor in the transition to a secure IT system—from the network and standards all the way to a basic understanding among users.
The Cyberagentur is commissioning research on mobile quantum computers and side-channel attacks using quantum sensors. What do we learn from this about future attacks on government IT—and about new protection options?
Attention to detail and the need for flexibility. Attention to detail means that it is not enough to launch broad programs for the transformation of government IT. Especially when it comes to protection against attacks, every technical detail must be closely monitored.
Flexibility means that developments are disruptive in the truest sense: research programs originally planned in a linear fashion can suddenly accelerate or take new directions, so we must be able to keep pace.
Cyberagentur Partner at PITS 2026
The Cyberagentur is one of the partners of PITS 2026. Public IT Security focuses on digital security in the public sector. It brings together experts from government, security agencies, research, and industry. The focus is on topics such as secure government networks, cloud structures, artificial intelligence, IT security expertise, and the protection of public infrastructure against professional cyberattacks. The panel “Doctor Quantum – New Technologies for Secure Public Networks” addresses a central theme of the Cyberagentur.
The Cyberagentur’s research programs in the field of quantum technologies address the challenges of identifying technological developments with potentially disruptive effects at an early stage and harnessing them for internal and external security. Quantum technologies can pose a threat to existing cryptographic protection mechanisms. At the same time, they open up new possibilities for secure communication, more precise sensor technology, and new security-related applications.
In the research program “ : Mobile Quantum Computer – Quantum Processors for Mobile Use in Defense and Security Applications” (MQC) , the Cyberagentur is investigating how quantum processors can be deployed in a mobile, robust, and application-oriented manner in security-relevant scenarios. This involves not only computing power but also the question of how quantum technologies can become practically available outside of highly specialized laboratory environments.
The research program “Side-Channel Attacks with Quantum Sensing” (SCA-QS) takes a different security-relevant perspective. Side-channel attacks exploit physical side-channel information from technical systems. This includes electromagnetic emissions, power consumption, or temporal patterns. Quantum sensing could make such measurements significantly more precise in the future. This gives rise to new requirements for hardware security, protection concepts, and technical risk assessment.
Post-quantum security is therefore not a specialized topic for cryptography alone. It concerns inventories of existing IT systems, migration paths, standards, procurement, protection requirements, and the long-term confidentiality of government data. For the government and public administration, they must decide early on which systems are affected and what technical, organizational, and strategic steps will be necessary.
Furthermore, the Cyberagentur will use the PITS 2026 platform to draw attention to its new ideas competition, “HAL2027: The Cybersecure Administrative Workplace of the Future.” The event in Berlin offers the ideal forum for exploring new ideas and getting involved in the next “update” of digitalization and cybersecurity in the administration of the day after tomorrow.
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