Preparation for the Quantum Computing Security Professional Exam
QCSP training covers a different problem from post-quantum cryptography. The Post-Quantum Track teaches you to protect classical systems from future quantum attacks by migrating their cryptographic algorithms. This course teaches you to protect quantum computers themselves from cyberattack.
Quantum computers are complex engineered systems with extensive classical infrastructure. Control electronics generate microwave pulses, and firmware manages calibration sequences. Cloud interfaces provide remote access, HPC systems process results, and cryogenic systems keep the hardware at temperatures measured in millikelvins. Every layer of this classical infrastructure is a potential attack surface. Quantum computers now run as cloud services and in government programs, as well as in research laboratories. Securing them is a critical requirement.
QCSP Training is one of the first professional programs anywhere on the cybersecurity of quantum computing infrastructure. We built the curriculum from our direct work 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 an attacker who compromises the control system 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. However you train, every exam is a proctored assessment. We confirm the arrangements when you book.
Live online and in-person training runs over four days, with 24 hours of instruction in total. Each day has six hours of teaching within a seven-and-a-half-hour schedule that includes lunch and breaks. The online on-demand course covers the same material and takes roughly 40 hours at your own pace.
Prerequisites
None (security background recommended). You can earn this standalone certification without holding 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 |
| On-demand training + QCSP exam bundle | US$2,999 |
| Live online training + QCSP exam bundle | US$3,499 |
| 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
When you finish, we email you the course handbook, a PDF of every slide with notes that explain it in full. We also include a PDF copy of Quantum Systems Integration. The handbook is yours to keep.
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 covers the cryptanalytic side. PQCA Architect Training suits anyone whose role includes migration design.
Why we teach this
The material is based on Quantum Systems Integration, the reference text on quantum computing, networking, and sensing written by the course author. It also draws on faculty who work with quantum engineering and integration teams. We teach what we have had to get right in the field. We focus on the judgment calls you will face in practice, and vendor roadmaps are not part of the course.
Certificate of Completion
Upon completion, you receive a Quantum Academy certificate of completion. It is separate from our professional certifications and states your CPE credits, one for each 60 minutes of teaching. CISSP, SSCP and CISM holders can claim them with their certifying body. The credits also count toward renewing a Quantum Academy certification. Our CPE credits page explains how to claim them.
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.
