Cloudflare has launched post-quantum cryptography for its corporate clients, a move designed to protect data from the potential threat of future quantum computers. These computers, while currently limited, may eventually be able to break current encryption algorithms.
Cloudflare's new cryptography uses algorithms that are resistant to quantum computing, ensuring data security even in a post-quantum world. The company has been developing this technology for eight years, working with standards bodies to prepare for the eventual arrival of quantum computing.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has declared five standardized algorithms as safe in a post-quantum world and plans to transition away from conventional encryption by 2030. Cloudflare has already incorporated these algorithms into its secure connections. The post-quantum cryptography is immediately available for Cloudflare's Zero Trust products, protecting HR platforms, corporate signature systems, and employees from malicious websites. Expansion to WARP clients is planned for mid-2025.
While tech leaders disagree on the timeline for quantum computing's applicability, Cloudflare emphasizes the need to prepare now, given the potential for present-day data interception aimed at future decryption.