Beyond VPN: Why Enterprises Should Embrace PQC-Encrypted E2EE for Data Security

In the midst of digital transformation, remote work and cloud applications have become the norm for business operations. To secure remote connections, many enterprises still rely on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). However, confronting an increasingly complex cybersecurity threat landscape and the advent of the quantum computing era, the defensive capabilities of traditional VPNs are proving insufficient.

Potential Risks of VPN: Hidden Vulnerabilities Behind Secure Connections

Traditional VPNs protect data in transit by establishing an encrypted tunnel between the user's device and the corporate network. However, this model presents several issues that cannot be overlooked:

Risk 1 — Weakness of a "Centralized" architecture

VPNs are typically designed with a centralized architecture, where all remote traffic must first converge on the enterprise VPN server. This means that if the VPN server is compromised, the entire internal corporate network may be exposed. Attackers can exploit this weakness to move laterally within the network after gaining access and steal sensitive data.

Risk 2 — Insider Threats and Privilege Misuse

Even trusted employees can become sources of cybersecurity risks. Recently, a semiconductor company in Taiwan experienced an incident in which an employee, while working remotely, accessed the company’s internal network and stole critical technical data for illegal resale.

Such incidents highlight that even with VPN connections, the lack of fine-grained access control can allow insiders to abuse their privileges and cause significant losses to the organization. Since VPNs primarily provide network-level access, they cannot precisely control authorization for individual applications or data — creating opportunities for insider threats to occur.

Risk 3 — The Quantum-Computer Threat: “harvest now, decrypt later”

Imagine this: the most sensitive data you guard today, seemingly behind unbeatable defenses, could tomorrow be laid bare before a quantum computer. Public-key schemes that traditional VPNs rely on — like RSA and ECC — are at risk of being fundamentally broken as quantum computing advances.

This risk is not a distant theoretical worry. Google announced in October 2025 that it has achieved verifiable results by running its Quantum Echo algorithm on the Willow chip, released in late 2024. This marks the first-ever verifiable quantum advantage in history. Google emphasizes that this achievement highlights the Willow chip's ability to run this algorithm approximately 13,000 times faster than the world's fastest traditional supercomputer. This is not only the first time quantum computing has demonstrated a verifiable advantage in a specific algorithm but also a crucial milestone in quantum computers moving towards practical applications.

These breakthroughs make the “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL)” strategy realistic for malicious actors: they can capture encrypted traffic today (for example, VPN-protected data), store it, and wait until sufficiently powerful quantum computers exist to decrypt it. That puts long-confidential assets — trade secrets, patient records, national-security data — at immediate risk if they must remain secret for many years. For any data requiring long-term confidentiality, this is an urgent threat. 

Quantum Echo demonstrates that the threat of quantum computers is not merely theoretical but is rapidly moving from the laboratory to reality. These breakthroughs embolden malicious actors to implement a "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" (HNDL) strategy: they capture encrypted data transmitted by enterprises, store it, and once quantum computers become available, they can easily decrypt it to obtain long-term sensitive information (such as trade data, patient records, or national security data). For data requiring long-term confidentiality, this is an imminent threat.

End-to-End Encrypted Access Tool (E2EE): Full Protection from Start to Finish

Compared to a VPN, end-to-end encryption (E2EE) provides stronger security. E2EE makes sure data is encrypted when it leaves the sender’s device and stays encrypted until it reaches the receiver’s device. Even if the data passes through other servers, it cannot be read by anyone else.

Key benefits of E2EE include:

• True data privacy: Only the sender and receiver can read the data. This greatly reduces the risk of man-in-the-middle attacks, server leaks, or third-party eavesdropping.

• Reduced trust dependency: Companies don’t have to fully trust VPN providers or other network services, because even if these services are hacked, the encrypted data cannot be accessed.

• Protection against future quantum threats: As quantum computers develop, traditional encryption may be broken. E2EE combined with post-quantum cryptography (PQC) helps companies defend against future quantum attacks.

  
  

PQTunnel: Next-Generation Secure Access for Businesses

To meet today’s and future’s security challenges, PQTunnel was developed as an end-to-end encrypted access tool with post-quantum cryptography (PQC), designed specifically for businesses. PQTunnel not only provides strong E2EE protection but also includes advanced features to support a zero-trust network architecture:

• End-to-end encryption with PQC (PQC): PQTunnel uses advanced post-quantum encryption to keep your data safe even against future quantum computer attacks.

• Fine-grained access control (IAM): Unlike VPNs that give broad network access, PQTunnel allows businesses to set specific permissions for each app, file, or service. This ensures the least privilege principle and reduces the risk of insider misuse.

• Zero-trust and multi-factor authentication (MFA): PQTunnel follows the zero-trust principle: “never trust, always verify.” Every connection request requires strict identity checks and authorization. MFA adds an extra layer of protection to prevent stolen credentials from being misused.

• Detailed access logs: PQTunnel records all access activity and connection logs. These logs help with audits, compliance, risk assessment, and incident investigations.

• Micro-segmentation: PQTunnel can split the network into smaller, independent secure zones. If one zone is breached, threats cannot easily spread, reducing the risk of large-scale data leaks.

  
  

In the digital era, business security is no longer optional — it is essential for survival and growth. Traditional VPNs face increasing challenges, especially from insider threats and future quantum computing risks. PQTunnel combines PQC-based E2EE, fine-grained access control, and zero-trust principles to provide a complete, forward-looking security solution.