If quantum computing promises a revolution in the computing performance of computers, they can also pose a threat for encryption as it is conceived today. Hence, Google is already preparing its Chrome web browser to prevent future cracking encrypted communications by the quantum computers.
Google Wants To Save Chrome From Evil Quantum Computers
Quantum computers do exist for now in the experimental stage, but the tech giant Google is already preparing for their arrival. As it promises to revolutionize some aspects of the IT world, such as the encryption industry with the ability to decrypt the previously inaccessible data to existing computers.
“If large quantum computers are built so they could be able to break the asymmetric cryptographic primitives that are currently used in TLS, the security protocol HTTPS behind”, explains Matt Braithwaite, who is an engineer at Google.
Matt Braithwaite, an engineer at Google also added that “Such quantum computers would be able to retrospectively decrypt any Internet communication that was registered today so that certain information must remain confidential for decades. Also, the possibility of a future quantum computer is something that we should think today”.
However, to avoid this disaster, cryptographers begin to develop encryption algorithms to immune these quantum attacks. The tech giant Google has just implemented one of these algorithms between Chrome and its servers, which is known as “New Hope”, as it was developed in 2015 by a group of four mathematicians.
Hence, an engineer of the tech giant, Google, Matt Braithwaite stated in a blog note that “Their method we seemed to be the exchange of post-quantum key most promising when we did our survey in 2015”.
As the tech giant, Google added “New Hope” to the algorithm exchange key into the existing Chrome browser, and it will get activate when a user connects to Google services. Now it means if any hacker who wants to get the key will have to break both the algorithms.
Hence, this approach does not reduce the current security, as it can only improve. Within two years, tech giant Google plans to replace “New Hope” with another algorithm, one that will seem to be the most promising to Google.
This trial and error may be surprising, but it makes sense, no one now knows if these algorithms are really effective or not, since there are no quantum computers. Admittedly, this is a bet on the future, but it is still better than doing nothing.
The post-quantum protection is only available in the Canary version of Chrome and to see if it is activated, you must go to the main menu at the top right, click on “More tools” and select “Development Tools”. A panel will then open. The “Security” tab shows which algorithms are used. One that could protect against quantum attacks called “CECPQ1”.
