Lately, I've been hearing this unfamiliar term "quantum computer" being discussed, and apparently it might be able to easily break current encryption technology😳
Then I saw news that the messaging app Signal had introduced "quantum-resistant cryptography (post-quantum cryptography)" into their communications, and I thought it sounded impressive... but I had no idea how challenging it actually was💭
But as I read through the article, I was impressed by how Signal's development team meticulously combined various clever solutions to achieve both security and speed at a level that's practical for everyday use✨
What Exactly is Post-Quantum Cryptography Anyway?
Regular encryption relies on the difficulty of calculating large numbers, but quantum computers might be able to solve these calculations at super high speeds🥺
That's why we need "new encryption methods that are hard to break even when quantum computers emerge," which are called post-quantum cryptography🌸
Signal's Challenge Wasn't Just "a Simple Update"
Signal already protects conversations with strong encryption, but incorporating post-quantum cryptography was apparently an extremely difficult task💡
Here are the reasons why👇
- The new encryption is processing-heavy and could slow down performance on smartphones
- Combining it with existing traditional encryption is technically complicated
- They needed to maintain communication speed and stability without inconveniencing users
In other words, it wasn't just about "adding stronger encryption!" - the impressive part is how they made it work smoothly enough for everyday users to send messages quickly and easily✨
How Did They Make It Work So Well?
The solutions that particularly made me think "That makes sense!" in the article were these👇
- They cleverly used a hybrid approach combining old and new encryption methods
- They optimized key exchange methods to reduce unnecessary data transmission
- They worked on speeding things up to avoid wasting smartphone CPU power
This apparently involved repeatedly rewriting programs in the background, testing various scenarios to find problems... it seems like there was a lot of gritty, persistent work that went on and on😮💨
Summary
Quantum computers might sound like something from the distant future, but I realized that preparations to protect secure communications are already underway💭
Plus, what's key about Signal is that they're not just focused on features, but they're really thinking about making it easy for us to use in our daily lives✨
These behind-the-scenes efforts are something we usually don't notice, but they're actually pretty important🥺
It's a bit of a complex topic, but if you're interested, it might be fun to quickly look into Signal's updates and post-quantum cryptography💗
Hatena
Comments
キンバリー
Apple says iMessage's PQ3 is more secure than PQXDH, but is that true? Why do they say that?
ハンナ
The biggest enemy of encryption isn't quantum computers but malware, including super sophisticated types that can see everything on your screen without requiring any clicks.
ジョージ
We can't even create stable qubits yet, but these articles are trying to trick us into thinking quantum computers are just around the corner.
