- Apple announced the launch of PQ3, a major security upgrade for the iMessage app. PQ3 is a post-quantum cryptographic protocol that protects against advanced quantum attacks.
- PQ3 is the first security protocol to reach Level 3 security after Apple switched from RSA to Elliptic Curve cryptographic standards.
Apple announced the launch of PQ3, a new post-quantum cryptography protocol for iMessage apps. Apple says this change will also provide security to its messaging platform from practical quantum computers that may emerge in the future. The technology giant calls this upgrade the first messaging protocol to reach Level 3 security, which means it has the strongest security properties compared to other cryptographic protocols used at scale.
The PQ3 update follows the switch from RSA to Elliptic Curve encryption and the setup of encryption keys with Secure Enclave for Apple devices. While traditional encryption methods are based on mathematical solutions that are easy to solve in one direction, quantum computers could theoretically make such protection redundant. This is especially important because end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) communications are commonly used across platforms.
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The new protocol also protects against Harvest Now, Decrypt Later (HNDL) attacks that decrypt message data that was encrypted at a later date than the date the data was stolen. Other attack techniques using quantum computers are also raising concerns among major technology manufacturers and service providers around the world.
Google, AWS, Signal, and Cloudflare have already announced support for quantum-proof security measures. The US Department of Commerce has also started using post-quantum cryptographic algorithms for general encryption. PQ3 limits the number of messages that can be decrypted if one key is compromised. This is done by ensuring that keys are rotated at least every 50 messages or at the end of every week. It will be rolled out next month to coincide with the general availability of iOS 17.4, iPadOS 17.4, macOS 14.4, and watchOS 10.4.
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