<2>Google Quantum-Proofs HTTPS: A New Era of Secure Web Browsing
<3>Introduction
Modern web browsing relies heavily on HTTPS certificates to ensure secure communication between websites and browsers. However, with the advent of quantum computers, these certificates are vulnerable to attacks using Shor’s algorithm. To address this issue, Google has unveiled a plan to secure HTTPS certificates against quantum computer attacks without breaking the Internet.
<3>The Problem with Classical Certificates
Today’s X.509 certificates are about 64 bytes in size and comprise six elliptic curve signatures and two EC public keys. These certificates can be cracked through the quantum-enabled Shor’s algorithm, which makes them vulnerable to attacks. The quantum-resistant cryptographic data needed to transparently publish TLS certificates is roughly 40 times bigger than the classical cryptographic material used today.
<3>Merkle Tree Certificates: A Solution to the Bottleneck
To bypass the bottleneck, companies are turning to Merkle Trees, a data structure that uses cryptographic hashes and other math to verify the contents of large amounts of information using a small fraction of material used in more traditional verification processes in public key infrastructure. Merkle Tree Certificates, “replace the heavy, serialized chain of signatures found in traditional PKI with compact Merkle