Preparation for the Quantum Computing Security Professional Exam
This is a fundamentally different challenge from post-quantum cryptography. The Post-Quantum Track protects classical systems from future quantum threats by migrating cryptographic algorithms. This course addresses the opposite problem: protecting quantum computers themselves from cyberattack.
Quantum computers are complex engineered systems with extensive classical infrastructure: control electronics generating microwave pulses, firmware managing calibration sequences, cloud interfaces providing remote access, HPC systems processing results, and cryogenic infrastructure maintaining operating temperatures measured in millikelvins. Every layer of this classical infrastructure is a potential attack surface. As quantum computers move from research laboratories to cloud-accessible commercial services and government programs, securing them becomes a critical requirement.
QCSP Training is a specialized professional program, among the first anywhere, addressing the cybersecurity of quantum computing infrastructure. The curriculum is built from direct engagement with quantum computing companies, cloud platform operators, and government programs.
Course Outline
Module 1. The Attack Surface of a Quantum Computer
The attack surface of a quantum computing system. Why quantum computers are attractive targets: intellectual property in circuit designs, sensitivity of computation results, potential for sabotage, supply chain manipulation. Threat actors: nation-states, competitors, insiders. Attack vectors across the classical infrastructure stack. The distinction between threats to quantum computers and threats from quantum computers (PQC).
Module 2. Classical Control System Security
The electronics that operate a quantum computer: microwave pulse generators, arbitrary waveform generators, signal routing, and readout chains. How control system compromise could manipulate quantum computations, exfiltrate circuit designs, or degrade results without detection. Security assessment methodology for quantum control electronics. Network segmentation between control systems and other infrastructure. Monitoring and anomaly detection for control plane activity.
Module 3. Firmware and Signal Chain Security
Firmware manages calibration sequences, qubit characterization, and error correction parameters. Compromised firmware could subtly degrade computation quality, introduce biases, or create covert channels. Firmware update mechanisms and their security properties. Calibration integrity: ensuring that calibration data has not been manipulated. Supply chain integrity for firmware components. Verification approaches for firmware running on quantum control systems.
Module 4. Cloud Quantum Platform Security
Securing quantum computers accessed as a cloud service. Authentication and access control for quantum API access. Job isolation: ensuring that one user’s quantum circuit cannot interfere with another’s, and that circuit designs are protected. Data handling: input preparation, result transmission, and storage. Multi-tenancy security on shared quantum hardware. Audit logging and compliance. API security and rate limiting. Denial-of-service considerations specific to quantum resources.
Module 5. Quantum-HPC Integration Security
The data flows between quantum processors and classical HPC infrastructure. Securing the interface between quantum job submission and classical pre/post-processing. Network security for quantum-classical communication. Data classification for quantum workloads. Securing the compilation pipeline: circuit designs as sensitive intellectual property. Result integrity: ensuring that computational results have not been manipulated between quantum processor and consumer.
Module 6. Physical and Facility Security
Physical infrastructure requirements for quantum computing: dilution refrigerators, shielded rooms, vibration isolation, temperature monitoring. Physical access controls for quantum computing facilities. Environmental monitoring and alerting. Insider threat considerations for personnel with physical access to quantum hardware. Facility requirements for different deployment models: dedicated facilities, shared data centers, cloud provider premises.
Module 7. Supply Chain and Vendor Security
The quantum computing supply chain is globally distributed, highly specialized, and in many cases dependent on sole-source suppliers. Cryogenic systems: dilution refrigerator supply chain. Control electronics: specialized components with limited suppliers. Materials: superconducting materials, photonic components, rare gases (helium-3). Assessing supply chain concentration risk. Vendor security evaluation for quantum computing components. Export controls and geopolitical considerations affecting supply chain reliability.
Format and Delivery
This program is available online on-demand, live online, in person, and as private team training; current prices for each format are in the booking section below. Live online and in-person sessions include 180 days of access to the online on-demand course. Where that course is not yet published, the 180 days start on the day it is. Training format and exam format are independent: however you train, the exam is delivered as a proctored assessment, under arrangements confirmed when you book.
Live online and in-person sessions run 24 hours of instruction across four days, six hours of teaching each day within a seven and a half hour schedule that includes lunch and breaks. The online on-demand course covers the same material at a self-paced pace of roughly 40 hours.
Prerequisites
None (security background recommended). This is a standalone certification, and it does not require CQTP or any Post-Quantum Track credential. However, professionals who also hold PQC credentials will have a broader perspective on the full spectrum of quantum security challenges.
Pricing
| Option | Price |
|---|---|
| Online (self-paced) | US$2,499 |
| Live online (instructor-led) | US$2,999 |
| In-person (instructor-led) | US$3,499 |
| Online training + QCSP exam bundle | US$2,999 |
| In-person training + QCSP exam bundle | US$3,999 |
All prices are in US dollars.
Who this course is for
Cybersecurity professionals, security architects, SOC analysts, penetration testers, cloud security engineers, and defense/government security specialists responsible for protecting quantum computing infrastructure or evaluating its security posture.
What you’ll be able to do afterward
- Map the complete attack surface of a quantum computing system from control electronics through cloud interface
- Apply threat modeling to quantum computing infrastructure
- Assess security of quantum computer control systems, firmware, and calibration data
- Evaluate cloud quantum computing platform security (multi-tenant isolation, API security, job integrity)
- Identify security implications of quantum-HPC integration architectures
- Assess supply chain security for quantum computing components (cryogenics, control electronics, specialized materials)
What you leave with
You leave with the course handbook, a PDF of the full material with the instructor notes written out in place of the slides’ bullet points, and a PDF copy of Quantum Systems Integration, included at no extra cost. The handbook is yours to keep. For most organizations, that shared reference is the clearest return on a training budget.
Enrollment includes 180 days of access to the online on-demand course. Where that course is not yet published, the 180 days start on the day it is.
Where this course fits
Nothing is required. Introduction to Quantum Computing or Quantum Computing Fundamentals both help if the physics is unfamiliar. The Quantum Threat: Technical Deep Dive for the cryptanalytic side, and PQCA Architect Training for anyone whose remit extends into migration design.
Why we teach this
The material comes from Quantum Systems Integration, the reference text on quantum computing, networking, and sensing written by the course author, and from faculty who work with quantum engineering and integration teams. We teach what we have had to get right in the field. The course teaches the judgment calls, and leaves vendor roadmaps to the vendors.
Certificate of Completion
Upon completion, you will receive a Quantum Academy certificate of completion. This is not a professional certification.
About this program
Quantum Academy credentials are private professional credentials issued by Quantum Academy, a trade name of Post-Quantum Institute. They are not government-issued licenses, accredited degrees, or academic credit, and earning one does not guarantee employment, promotion, regulatory approval, or any other specific outcome.
Quantum Academy programs are educational and informational only, and are not legal, compliance, or engineering advice.