The race is on: Tutanota launches development of a secure post-quantum cloud
Posted: Wed Dec 18, 2024 7:57 am
he whole world is talking about quantum computing. This groundbreaking technology will revolutionize the technology sector even more than AI. The reason: With their almost unbelievable computing power, quantum computers will soon be able to solve computing problems that were previously considered unsolvable – including breaking the encryption currently used. This puts the entire backbone of Internet security at risk – and only secure post-quantum encryption can help.
Since Snowden , we know how important it is to securely encrypt data from end to end. With the arrival of quantum computers, this security disappears, since quantum computers, with their immense computing power, will be able to break asymmetric encryption in a very short time, something unthinkable ten years ago.
All available solutions for encrypting email or exchanging encrypted data (file sharing) use asymmetric encryption. When quantum computers become a reality, this encryption will be useless. It will be as if end-to-end data encryption did not exist. Just as before the launch of PGP, but in an era small business email list when malicious attackers as well as the secret services of many states, including autocracies, have become much more competent: Today, spying on and abusing unencrypted data is standard practice for them; with the arrival of quantum computers, the same will be true for encrypted data. A nightmare for any computer scientist.
But now, at Tutanota we are taking up the challenge!
With the support of 1.5 million Euro from KMU-innovativ funding , a grant for SMEs from the German government, we are now launching the project “ PQDrive – Development of a post-quantum encrypted online storage ”: At the end of the project, the product TutaDrive will be launched. TutaDrive will be the first end-to-end encrypted cloud solution that will enable secure data storage and exchange, even in the wake of quantum computers. Although quantum computers will soon be able to decrypt “normally” encrypted data quite easily, they will find their way into secure post-quantum encryption.
The current problem is not only that current encryption techniques are not future-proof. It is also that most people, and increasingly even businesses, still use unencrypted cloud services, simply for convenience. At Tutanota we are changing this: Starting from encrypted email and calendars, TutaDrive aims to create a fully encrypted cloud storage solution that automatically encrypts all files end-to-end in a quantum-resistant way. It will be as easy to use as any other Drive solution, but with an unprecedented level of security.
Since Snowden , we know how important it is to securely encrypt data from end to end. With the arrival of quantum computers, this security disappears, since quantum computers, with their immense computing power, will be able to break asymmetric encryption in a very short time, something unthinkable ten years ago.
All available solutions for encrypting email or exchanging encrypted data (file sharing) use asymmetric encryption. When quantum computers become a reality, this encryption will be useless. It will be as if end-to-end data encryption did not exist. Just as before the launch of PGP, but in an era small business email list when malicious attackers as well as the secret services of many states, including autocracies, have become much more competent: Today, spying on and abusing unencrypted data is standard practice for them; with the arrival of quantum computers, the same will be true for encrypted data. A nightmare for any computer scientist.
But now, at Tutanota we are taking up the challenge!
With the support of 1.5 million Euro from KMU-innovativ funding , a grant for SMEs from the German government, we are now launching the project “ PQDrive – Development of a post-quantum encrypted online storage ”: At the end of the project, the product TutaDrive will be launched. TutaDrive will be the first end-to-end encrypted cloud solution that will enable secure data storage and exchange, even in the wake of quantum computers. Although quantum computers will soon be able to decrypt “normally” encrypted data quite easily, they will find their way into secure post-quantum encryption.
The current problem is not only that current encryption techniques are not future-proof. It is also that most people, and increasingly even businesses, still use unencrypted cloud services, simply for convenience. At Tutanota we are changing this: Starting from encrypted email and calendars, TutaDrive aims to create a fully encrypted cloud storage solution that automatically encrypts all files end-to-end in a quantum-resistant way. It will be as easy to use as any other Drive solution, but with an unprecedented level of security.