QUANTUM COMPUTING AND CLOUD SECURITY: FUTURE-PROOFING HEALTHCARE DATA PROTECTION

Abstract

Cloud computing has emerged as the prevailing development in healthcare systems across the global market. These systems are creating and processing vast amounts of patient data that require a certain level of security. However, due to the introduction of quantum computation, the future of cryptographic techniques on which Cloud security relies is in danger. The following paper seeks to explore the compatibility of quantum computing and cloud security and regard to the protection of health data. It also includes a comprehensive analysis of the current risks, a discussion of already existing quantum-vulnerable points, and a strategy for creating a quantum-safe strategy for safe patient data storage in healthcare. The study under consideration also employs quantum cryptography and cloud structures to identify threats and create appropriate defence mechanisms. Some models explored and analyzed include Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and hybrid cryptosystems. A simulated hospital database has brought about the fragility of some of these algorithms, a research work dubbed as quantum resilience, in order to explain how it is possible to integrate these two concepts without removing the aspects of the cloud that make it appealing to many people, including scalability and accessibility. This indicates that there has been a major enhancement in standing against quantum attacks, specifically showing the way towards effective, sustainable and protected healthcare information systems.