{"ID":2868641,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.15653","arxiv_id":"2509.15653","title":"Future-Proofing Cloud Security Against Quantum Attacks: Risk, Transition, and Mitigation Strategies","abstract":"Quantum Computing (QC) threatens the cryptographic foundations of Cloud Computing (CC), exposing distributed infrastructures to novel attack vectors. This survey provides comprehensive analysis of quantum-safe cloud security, examining vulnerabilities, transition strategies, and layer-specific countermeasures across nine architectural layers (application, data, runtime, middleware, OS, virtualization, server, storage, networking). We employ STRIDE-based risk assessment aligned with NIST SP 800-30 to evaluate quantum threats through three transition phases: pre-transition (classical cryptography vulnerabilities), hybrid (migration risks), and post-transition (PQC implementation weaknesses including side-channel attacks). Our security framework integrates hybrid cryptographic strategies (algorithmic combiners, dual/composite certificates, protocol-level migration), cryptographic agility, and risk-prioritized mitigation tailored to cloud environments. We benchmark NIST-standardized PQC algorithms for performance and deployment suitability, assess side-channel and implementation vulnerabilities, and analyze quantum-safe strategies from leading CSPs (AWS, Azure, GCP). The survey delivers layer-specific threat taxonomies, likelihood-impact risk matrices, and CSP-informed deployment roadmaps for cloud architects, policymakers, and researchers. We identify six critical research directions: standardization and interoperability, hardware acceleration and performance optimization, AI-enhanced security and threat mitigation, integration with emerging cloud technologies, systemic preparedness and workforce development, and migration frameworks with crypto-agility.","short_abstract":"Quantum Computing (QC) threatens the cryptographic foundations of Cloud Computing (CC), exposing distributed infrastructures to novel attack vectors. This survey provides comprehensive analysis of quantum-safe cloud security, examining vulnerabilities, transition strategies, and layer-specific countermeasures across ni...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.15653","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2509.15653v4","authors":"[\"Yaser Baseri\",\"Abdelhakim Hafid\",\"Arash Habibi Lashkari\"]","published":"2025-09-19T06:25:12Z","proceeding":"cs.CR","tasks":"[\"cs.CR\"]","methods":"[]","has_code":false}