Attacks using quantum computers against the encryption used today are expected to become a reality within the next 15 to 20 years. When that happens, quantum computers will be able to solve specific calculations much faster than current computers, potentially threatening even the most advanced security algorithms currently known, such as RSA and ECC.

Various internet standards such as TLS (Transport Layer Security), S/MIME, and PGP/GPG use encryption based on RSA or ECC to protect data communication with smart cards, computers, servers, and industrial control systems. Representative examples include online banking on HTTPS sites and instant messaging encryption on mobile phones.



Chip memory size and computation time are critical issues

Infineon's security experts have achieved an innovation that implements post-quantum key exchange on commercial contactless smart card chips. This key exchange can be used to establish an encrypted channel between two parties. The algorithm they implemented is a type called New Hope. New Hope is a quantum defense encryption system that Google successfully tested in a development version of the Chrome browser.

Thomas Pöppelmann of Infineon’s Chip Card and Security division, who also participated in the development of the “New Hope” algorithm, said, “Stored and executed such a complex algorithm on a small chip with limited memory capacity and transaction speeds was a huge challenge.” Thomas Pöppelmann and his fellow researchers were awarded the prestigious 2016 Facebook Internet Defense Prize for their work in developing “New Hope.”

In the era of quantum computing, PQC will provide the same level of security as RSA and ECC with current computing power. However, to withstand quantum computing performance, the key length must be longer than RSA's 2048 bits or ECC's 256 bits. Nevertheless, Infineon researchers have implemented “New Hope” in a commercially released security chip without requiring additional memory space and thus without the need to increase the chip size.

Standardization organizations are expected to reach a consensus on one or more PQC algorithms within the next few years. Subsequently, regulatory bodies and the industry will likely mandate the transition to this approach. Infineon is actively participating in development and standardization efforts to facilitate this transition and address the security challenges that will arise from the advent of quantum computers.