Google looks ahead: The encryption methods used today for the security of communications over the Internet will not be inaccessible forever. Strong quantum computers could break them very easily.
That's why Google is testing new cryptography methods that computers in the future may not be able to break.
The processing power of hypothetical future quantum computers could be enough to decipher any current online communication, said Matt Braithwaite, a Google software engineer on the company's blog on Thursday.
This could affect the Transport Layer Security (TLS) protocol used by many web pages.
Quantum computers are available from today, however, they are still small and experimental. But the technology runs and seems to be a reality in a while.
Regardless of when the fast quantum computers will be released, Google wants to be ready for the security risks that arise when they appear.
So the company has started developing what it calls "post-quantum cryptography" and will be able to try it using the Chrome Canary browser.
The experiment will only cover a small fraction of links between the browser and Google servers that will use the new encryption algorithm.
In her test, Google uses an encryption algorithm called "New Hope" or "New Hope.” However, the test will only last two years, and Google hopes it can later replace the algorithm with something better.
"The post-quantum algorithm can prove to be fragile even with today's computers," Braithwaite wrote. "Alternatively, if the post-quantum algorithm proves to be secure, then it will be able to protect connections even from future, quantum computers."
Chrome Canary users will be able to see if the post-quantum algorithm is being used by the browser security control panel by searching for "CECPQ1" in the key exchange.
