As the tech world debates whether fully fault-tolerant quantum computing will become a reality within the next decade, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) isn’t taking any risks. The tech giant announced new security protocols to protect iMessage users from quantum computing attacks.
The iPhone maker described it as “the most significant encryption security upgrade in iMessage history.”
Although not a major threat today, quantum computing is expected to advance over the next decade. Quantum computers can crack today’s encryption standards, from RSA to elliptic curve. iMessage has been relying on the latter since 2019.
To prepare for advances in quantum computing, Apple believes attackers could begin engaging in ‘Harvest Now Decrypt Later’ attacks, stealing large amounts of data in anticipation of decrypting it when the technology catches up.
The Cupertino, California-based company announced PQ3, a post-quantum encryption protocol to protect users of its instant messaging service.
Apple says PQ3 is the most advanced protocol that provides level 3 protection. Skype, Telegram, and WeChat are at level 0 by default, with no end-to-end encryption provided. WhatsApp, Viber, Line, and the current iMessage version have been assigned to level 1, which means they have end-to-end encryption by default.
Apple says that among popular messaging platforms, Signal is closest to advancing Level 2 encryption. Signal relies solely on post-quantum cryptography (PQC) key establishment, but PQ3 adds persistent PQC key reset.
In response to Apple’s claims, Signal president Meredith Whittaker said her company had considered renewing the PQC key but decided against it at the time.
“This approach is currently a new area of research and requires solving existing problems to be implemented at Signal’s scale,” she told one publication.
Apple’s latest upgrades will be available in early March with the public release of the next batch of software upgrades: iOS 17.4, macOS 14.4, iPadOS 17.4, and watchOS 10.4.
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