Utimaco sets new standard for quantum-safe cryptography

Utimaco sets new standard for quantum-safe cryptography

Aachen, July 2, 2019 – Utimaco, an international provider of IT security solutions, now offers the world’s first commercially available quantum-safe Hardware Security Module (HSM). With Utimaco’s new Q-safe firmware extension, companies and organizations will be able to effectively shield their connected devices, data and critical infrastructures from cyber-attacks perpetrated by quantum computers.
With quantum computing technology advancing rapidly, a new generation of supercomputers will arrive much sooner than many anticipate. Unlike classical computers, quantum computers can process multiple, increasingly complex computing operations simultaneously and at multiples of the rate of a classical computer. There is an industry-spanning need for these kinds of powerful calculations and innovations, especially in areas like transportation, pharmaceuticals, materials research, logistics or financial modeling and simulations, where current computing capacity is not sufficiently meeting the industry need.

Quantum Computing – Opportunity and Risk for Industry

However, this new breed of supercomputer also represents a risk for today’s widespread public-key encryption and signature technology. The globally recognized and trusted National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), predicts that asymmetric public-key cryptography – the backbone of secure digital communications – will be susceptible to attacks by quantum computers within the next decade. According to NIST’s own estimates, new encryption algorithms that can withstand these attacks won’t be widely available until 2022 to 2024 at the earliest. This would jeopardize the security of the internet itself and all connected devices that exchange data. ID cards and critical infrastructures as well as Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as connected cars, smart homes, smart cities, FinTech and blockchain applications are all vulnerable to quantum computer enabled attacks. Protecting these critical elements of our connected world should be a priority now and in the future.

Future-proof security

Over the last few years, Utimaco has invested significant time and talent into post-quantum cryptography and as a result, has anticipated this different and increased need for security. Today, its Q-safe firmware extension to the Utimaco CryptoServer gives organizations an opportunity to reinforce their infrastructure with quantum-resistant security measures. The Q-safe firmware extension utilizes the ISARA Radiate™ Quantum-safe Toolkit, which provides security experts with all the tools necessary to effectively implement, test and evaluate quantum computer-safe cryptographic algorithms in their own systems. In addition, Utimaco’s CryptoServer was recently successfully tested with the Open Source Toolkit from “Open Quantum Safe” (OQS), created by evolutionQ, and Microsoft Research. With this latest development, cyber security solution providers now have the ability to build the right environment to develop, test and deploy their own quantum-secure products.

Today, IoT devices are being increasingly used in environments that are designed to last for ten to fifteen years. “That is the minimum period access and protection of information must be ensured, often even beyond that. And strong cryptography and public key infrastructure will continue to be the solution of choice for companies and organizations for the foreseeable future. But it is now imperative to ensure cryptographic agility through hardware security modules that are enabled for quantum-secure algorithms. Only proven crypto-agile HSM are a future-proof anchor of trust for the protection of our digital society,” explains Malte Pollmann, Chief Strategy Officer for Corporate Development and M&A at Utimaco. “At Utimaco, we see ourselves as innovators and thought leaders, and we want our solutions to create trust in the digital, connected world. With that in mind, we are already supporting our customers in introducing quantum computer-safe processes into their infrastructure.”

Starting today, interested parties can download the Q-safe firmware extension and evaluate it as part of the Utimaco HSM Simulator.

Note to editorial offices

Malte Pollmann, Chief Strategy Officer for Corporate Development and M&A at Utimaco, is available to answer questions about Post-Quantum Security, HSM and the Q-safe firmware extension. If you are interested, please get in contact with Margarita Atlasova.