iMessage: Building an Effective Quantum-Resistant Message Communication Protocol for the Next-Generation e-Memory Internet
“PQ3 is the first messaging protocol to reach what we call Level 3 security — providing protocol protections that surpass those in all other widely deployed messaging apps,” the security team wrote. Yes, Apple came up with its own ranking system for messaging service security, and iMessage now stands alone at the top thanks to these latest PQ3 advancements.
“We rebuilt the iMessage cryptographic protocol from the ground up,” its blog post says, adding that the upgrade will fully replace its existing encryption protocols by the end of this year. You don’t need to do anything other than update your operating system for the new protections to be applied.
Even though quantum computers with this capability aren’t available, attackers can take advantage of the steep decrease in modern data storage costs by preparing for their arrival. The premise is simple: such attackers can collect large amounts of today’s encrypted data and file it all away for future reference. They can retain the data even though they can’t decode it today, in case of an attack scenario known as “Harvest Now, Decrypt Later”.
Responding to the potential threat—which has been known about since the 1990s—intelligence and security agencies have become increasingly vocal about developing and deploying quantum-resistant cryptography. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US has been a driving force behind the creation of these new encryption types. Tech companies are taking quantum threats very seriously, says Olejnik. Olejnik said the changes are much more serious than some of the old ones like switches between functions.
Unlike the computers we use today, quantum computers use qubits, which can exist in more than one state. Current bits are either ones or zeroes. It means that quantum devices can store more information than traditional computers and perform more complex calculations, including potentially cracking encryption.
