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Google trials Chrome browser with post-quantum encryption

Wednesday 13 July 2016 08:47 CET | News

Google has announced that it is testing a so-called post-quantum cryptographic technology aimed at making users immune from cryptographic attacks.

There is a need for new algorithms for key exchange, or for a new way of getting around the requirement for key exchange. Enter, post-quantum cryptography and, in the case of this new experiment from Google, a software solution called CECPQ1.

Chrome Canary users can check if they are part of the post-quantum experiment by going to the Security panel and looking for CECPQ1, the post-quantum suite that allows Chrome browser to interact with specifically designed Google servers in a way that no quantum computer could eavesdrop upon.

This experiment is terminal, with a maximum lifetime of two years and an explicit wish not to become the industry standard. Google openly acknowledges this is not a good enough solution, even if its testing is a complete success. Their plan is to replace CECPQ1 with a better, updated solution, and in all likelihood even that algorithm will not be secure enough to use as the basis for next-gen encryption.


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Keywords: encryption, web security, cryptographic attacks, Google, Chrome Canary, CECPQ1
Categories: Fraud & Financial Crime
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Countries: World
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Fraud & Financial Crime






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