Google is already taking security against quantum computers one step further. According to the company, the investment is already necessary because hackers are still cracking widely used encryption systems within the next decade. Still, the threat is immediately relevant.
According to Google, popular encryption systems, such as RSA and ECC, will no longer be resistant to hackers within the decade. The prediction implies that quantum computers will be a tool available to hackers within the decade. Many security mechanisms used today cannot withstand the enormous computing power of these computers.
Immediate threat
“If we do not encrypt our data now with a quantum-secure algorithm, an attacker capable of storing current communications will be able to decrypt it within a decade,” company security researchers write in a blog.
According to the researchers, the solution lies in quantum-secure algorithms, which are also known as post-quantum cryptography (PQC). A PQC algorithm doesn’t have to be a new self-standing solution but can enhance an existing security solution.
Google is already preparing for this future reality. The company says it is already beginning to implement PQC algorithms, primarily to protect against so-called store-now-decrypt-later attacks. Hackers steal encrypted data during these attacks and store it for the time they have a quantum computer.
Bypassing TLS and SSH.
TLS and SSH are referred to as encryption methods that every enterprise should immediately bypass. According to security researchers, firmware and software signatures will soon have to integrate PQC.
The same goes for Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and tokens. The researchers haven’t yet found a suitable way to integrate PQC for these methods. More research appears to be needed.
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