Quantum computers could read all your encrypted data. This ‘quantum-safe’ VPN aims to stop that

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Daphne Leprince-Ringuet

By

Daphne Leprince-Ringuet

| August 26, 2021 — 09:51 GMT (10:51 BST)

| Topic: Security

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The trial successfully demonstrated, according to Verizon, that it is possible to replace current security processes with protocols that are quantum-proof.    

Image: Bloomberg / Contributor / Getty Images

To protect our private communications from future attacks by quantum computers, Verizon is trialing the use of next-generation cryptography keys to protect the virtual private networks (VPNs) that are used every day by companies around the world to prevent hacking. 

Verizon implemented what it describes as a “quantum-safe” VPN between one of the company’s labs in London in the UK and a US-based center in Ashburn, Virginia, using encryption keys that were generated thanks to post-quantum cryptography methods – meaning that they are robust enough to withstand attacks from a quantum computer. 

According to Verizon, the trial successfully demonstrated that it is possible to replace current security processes with protocols that are quantum-proof.  

VPNs are a common security tool used to protect connections made over the internet, by creating a private network from a public internet connection. When a user browses the web with a VPN, all of their data is redirected through a specifically configured remote server run by the VPN host, which acts as a filter that encrypts the information.

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Daphne Leprince-Ringuet

By

Daphne Leprince-Ringuet

| August 26, 2021 — 09:51 GMT (10:51 BST)

| Topic: Security