Google Sets 2029 Deadline for Quantum-Safe Cryptography

Google Sets 2029 Deadline for Quantum-Safe Cryptography

The transition to a post-quantum era is progressively advancing, with forecasts suggesting this future may materialize within a few years.

On Wednesday, Google announced its ambitious plan to implement post-quantum cryptography (PQC) across its systems, products, and services by the end of 2029. This timeline was revealed in a blog post authored by Heather Adkins, Vice President of Security Engineering, and Sophie Schmieg, Senior Staff Cryptography Engineer at Google.

This announcement follows a recent call to action from the tech giant, which highlighted that while quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize sciences, they also pose significant risks to current authentication and encryption standards. As quantum computing technology becomes more accessible, malicious actors will have the opportunity to exploit these advancements.

Consequently, organizations like Google and Apple, as well as various public sector entities, have prioritized the implementation of PQC through cryptographic algorithms specifically designed to withstand the challenges posed by future quantum computing. The U.S. government's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released its initial standards on PQC in 2024, which will serve as a guiding framework for companies such as Google.

Google's Impending Post-Quantum Migration

In the February blog post, Google provided the following insights on its migration strategy:

"We are on track to complete a PQC migration safely within NIST's current guidelines and we've begun rolling out PQC within our infrastructure for internal operations and products. To successfully migrate to a safer post-quantum state we're focused on three key areas: Crypto agility, securing critical shared infrastructure, and facilitating ecosystem shifts, which can create a long-term and more robust security infrastructure."

NIST continues to drive a significant push for the integration of PQC in hardware, software, and products, with other public sector entities also expressing interest in this evolving technology as noted.

While much of the discourse surrounding quantum computing has centered on encryption as a pivotal concern (with Google cautioning about potential attacks where adversaries could pilfer data to decrypt at a later stage), the recent blog post places a renewed focus on authentication as a vital issue.

"Quantum computers will pose a significant threat to current cryptographic standards, and specifically to encryption and digital signatures. The threat to encryption is relevant today with store-now-decrypt-later attacks, while digital signatures are a future threat that require the transition to PQC prior to a Cryptographically Relevant Quantum Computer (CRQC)," Adkins and Schmieg stated. "That's why we've adjusted our threat model to prioritize PQC migration for authentication services — an important component of online security and digital signature migrations. We recommend that other engineering teams follow suit."

In conjunction with its 2029 commitment, Google also revealed that Android 17 will incorporate PQC digital signature protection through the Module-Lattice-Based Digital Signature Algorithm (ML-DSA), which complements previously announced support for post-quantum technologies in Google Chrome and Cloud.

Preparing for the Quantum Era

Melina Scotto, a cybersecurity executive adviser and seasoned chief information security officer (CISO), remarked to Dark Reading that the 2029 deadline is both feasible and indicative of a proactive security stance from Google. While not all organizations may possess the extensive resources of Google, Scotto advised that entities prioritize robust salting techniques.

"Salts add a vital layer of randomness to our cryptographic processes, significantly impeding attackers' efforts to leverage precomputed attacks," she explained. "This approach increases the effort, cost, and time required for adversaries to compromise our data, effectively buying us valuable protection as we work toward comprehensive encryption solutions. Staying ahead of these threats with layered, strategic defenses is essential to safeguarding our critical information now and into the future."

According to Dustin Moody from NIST, organizations face risks that extend beyond external threats to data and authentication systems if they fail to prepare for quantum computing. These risks can also include potential interoperability challenges with partners who prioritize PQC. For smaller organizations, the appropriate response entails preparing for these inevitable technological transitions.