PRESS RELEASE

NEW YORK; Jan. 16, 2024 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and SandboxAQ are partnering to deliver artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing solutions to help organizations identify and remediate cybersecurity vulnerabilities.

According to recent Accenture research, executives’ top concern for 2024 is the ability to adapt to advancements in technology and innovations such as AI. This is notable because cybercriminals are using AI-enabled tools to advance ransomware attacks, obtain user passwords and spear phish employees. To fend off these attacks, enterprises are transitioning to a zero-trust architecture, which requires strong cryptographic management.

Together, Accenture and SandboxAQ will provide comprehensive AI-enabled cryptographic management leveraging SandboxAQ’s Security Suite. The solution will enable organizations to scan all of their files, applications and network traffic to ensure that all of their data—whether on-premise or hosted via major cloud providers—is secure even when attackers break through firewalls and network endpoints. The goal is to help companies defend against the growing threat of quantum computing-based decryption attacks, which will only increase as quantum computing continues to advance and pose even greater threats to encryption systems.

“With the increased use of AI and generative AI, cyberattacks are becoming more targeted and precise,” said Paolo Dal Cin, global lead of Accenture Security. “Our collaboration with SandboxAQ will better equip organizations to defend against a myriad of cybersecurity and quantum risks before a cyber adversary can strike.”

Through the partnership, Accenture will help clients leverage SandboxAQ’s AI and simulation solutions, which are currently being used to accelerate drug discovery and advance materials science, and SandboxAQ’s quantum sensing solutions, which are being tested in geomagnetic navigation systems and next-generation medical imaging devices.

“Cyberattacks are on the rise and are severely impacting enterprises and governments,” said Jack D. Hidary, CEO of SandboxAQ. “With Accenture, we’ll be able to provide comprehensive cryptographic management solutions that will protect their clients against both current and future threats. We will also be working with Accenture on other products including next-gen AI simulation.”

Accenture and SandboxAQ are currently helping a global nonprofit health organization mitigate its quantum risk. They are taking a multi-phased approach to enhance the organization’s quantum security strategy and discover the most at-risk uses of cryptography across its networks, third parties and vendors as well as their public networks in more than 100 countries. This approach will help the nonprofit reduce its risks from newly vulnerable cryptographic protocols, lower its overall operating costs and reduce the time to deploy lifesaving health solutions.

To help maintain security in a post-quantum world, Accenture has developed an eight-step roadmap and partnered with or invested in several leading technology providers. These new ventures, including the collaboration with SandboxAQ, will help Accenture provide clients with technology to secure their data and communications. Working with other industry leaders, Accenture has designed a Quantum Security Maturity Index to give corporate boards and executives a way to measure their quantum security infrastructure against their peers and identify areas for improvement.

Accenture Security is a leading provider of end-to-end cybersecurity services, including strategy, protection, resilience and industry-specific cyber services. We bring security innovation, coupled with global scale and a worldwide delivery capability through our network of Cyber Fusion Centers. Helped by our team of 20,000 highly skilled professionals, we enable clients to innovate safely, build cyber resilience and grow with confidence. Visit us at accenture.com/security.