Post Quantum Cryptograpy Image © WDPost Quantum Cryptograpy (Image © WD)

The integration is a response to the evolving capabilities of quantum computers, post-quantum cryptography, which threaten traditional cryptographic methods. A key concern is the “harvest now, decrypt later” (HNDL) strategy, where encrypted data is collected today to be decrypted later, once quantum technology has matured.

Since storage hardware in companies usually remains in use for five years or longer, the window of opportunity for attacks is considerable. Without quantum-resistant protections, attackers could forge digital signatures on firmware updates, allowing malicious code to be installed under the guise of authentic updates.

Technical implementation and standards

Rather than focusing on encrypting data at rest, Western Digital has focused PQC on the device chain of trust. This ensures the integrity of the hardware from the manufacturing phase to the field. The technical framework is based on NIST-approved algorithms. Specifically, the drives use ML-DSA-87 (NIST FIPS 204) for code signing. To ensure operational continuity and stability, the company uses a dual-signing approach that combines the new PQC standards with RSA-3072.

To support this deployment, the company has established PQC-enabled workflows for the public key infrastructure (PKI) and hardware security modules (HSM). These systems manage the issuance, rotation and full lifecycle of security keys. In addition, rollback security measures have been integrated to ensure that these security updates do not disrupt the ongoing operation of the device fleet.

Market availability and future plan

The PQC-enabled Ultrastar drives are currently in the qualification phase with several hyperscale customers. This launch marks the transition from theoretical quantum planning to the deployment of hardware-level defenses in production environments.

Following the introduction of the DC HC6100 UltraSMR, Western Digital plans to extend these quantum-resistant capabilities to its entire portfolio of enterprise hard drives.