- Google Cloud now offers PQC algorithms to digital signatures
- The move comes as part of Google Cloud Quantum-Safe Roadmap
- The feature is available in preview now, with multiple PQC changes coming
Google Cloud has taken an extra step to secure its platform from the threat of Quantum Computing for Public-Key Cryptography by announcing the availability of quantum-proof digital signatures in Preview in Google Cloud Key Management Service (KMS).
Theoretically, quantum computers will be able to crack most modern encryption algorithms within hours, but the viability of such a system is still at least a decade of most expert estimates.
However, this shows threats today with cyber criminals stealing vulnerable encrypted data today to decrypt them when ‘Q-Day’, or the day when the availability of cryptographically relevant quantum computers arrives. This has necessitated the development of cryptography after quantity (PQC) to secure data against ‘Harvest-Now-Decrypt-Later’ attacks.
Securing the future of digital signatures
Quantum-proof digital signatures are just one step in Google Cloud’s roadmap against a full PQC platform.
For digital signatures specifically, Quantum brings the threat of forgery and manipulation, with Google Cloud, which emphasizes that working to solve these threats will now help build a more elastic infrastructure and inspire other platforms to do the same.
Google Cloud has also revealed in the message that to help enforce transparency and code auditiveness, the quantum-related software implementations will be available as part of Google’s open source cryptographic libraries BoringCrypto and Tink.
This update to digital signatures specifically implements ML-DSA-65 and SLH-DSA-SHA2-128S PQC algorithms in accordance with the NIST standards. Google Cloud also implements new PQC algorithms and techniques in its hardware security modules (HSM).
Google Cloud customers will be able to use the latest PQC algorithms in Cloud KMS and give feedback on their implementation and suggestions for other specific cryptographic requirements. Essentially, the use of Cloud KMS ‘latest algorithms acts as a test bed for building and expanding the availability of PQC across the Google Cloud platform.
