Image when Google achieved "quantum transcendence" in 2019. On the left is Pichai CEO = provided by Google
For the first time, the cryptographic method that has supported the security of the Internet will change significantly. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced on the 5th that it has selected the cipher developed by IBM and others as a new standard technology. Prepare for the risk that the next-generation high-speed computer and quantum computer will evolve and the current code will be broken. The method proposed by NTT and others was not selected.
"CRYSTALS-KYBER" such as IBM, which will become a new standard technology of cryptography, makes full use of the "lattice problem" of mathematics handled at the university level, and it is difficult to decipher even with a quantum computer. Professor Tsuyoshi Takagi of the University of Tokyo points out that the reason for the selection was "I think it was appreciated that the safety analysis was carried out well." It seems that the high level of comprehensive strength was the decisive factor, such as the short time required for information encryption and restoration. The cipher called "NTRU" developed by NTT and others remained in the four final candidates, but it was not selected and the Japanese could not show its presence.
Cryptography is indispensable for protecting the security of communication on the Internet. Credit card information entered when shopping in electronic commerce (EC) is also protected by encryption. Among them, the current mainstream "RSA cipher" has been used all over the world since the latter half of the 1990s and has played a central role.
Quantum computers came to the fore as a risk. If it evolves to a high degree, the RSA cipher may be broken in a short time. NIST has been addressing this issue since 2016 and has been selecting new ciphers. The Internet-related standardization organization "IETF" is also planning to comply with NIST's decision, and the new cipher is expected to be standardized as a de facto global standard by 2012. Communication standards have changed significantly for the first time since the standards supporting RSA encryption became widespread.
"It's an important milestone in protecting sensitive data from potential future cyberattacks by quantum computers." US Secretary of Commerce Lemond emphasized following the new cryptographic decision. Cryptography is involved in security, and this selection has political significance. "The United States can take the necessary steps to protect information," he said.
NIST has also newly selected three types of ciphers for digital signatures that prevent data tampering. In anticipation of the arrival of the quantum computer era, efforts to ensure security on the Internet will enter a new stage.
The new cipher will have a wide range of effects such as e-mail, online shopping, and cashless payments. Google and others in the US are considering incorporating new encryption on their browsers (Internet browsing software). In Japan as well, Softbank has begun to move toward the introduction of new cryptography, such as signing a demonstration experiment contract with a US company for the practical application of VPN (virtual private network) using new cryptography in March.
