Blackberry Launches New Quantum-Resistant Solution

Enterprise mobility management solution provider, Blackberry Limited, has announced that it will add a quantum-resistant code signing server to its existing range of cryptography tools. This latest solution will enable software to be signed digitally by using a scheme that would be difficult for a quantum computer to break.

Chief technology officer at Blackberry, Charles Eagan stated, “quantum computing will solve groundbreaking problems in healthcare, transportation, astrophysics, government, and many other fields; however, it also gives bad actors the potential to crack traditional public key cryptosystems and then attack the underlying data they protect. By adding the quantum-resistant code signing server to our cybersecurity tools, we will be able to address a major security concern for industries that rely on assets that will be in use for a long time. If your product, whether it’s a car or critical piece of infrastructure, needs to be functional 10-15 years from now, you need to be concerned about quantum computing attacks.”

Blackberry’s quantum-resistant code signing server will be available in November 2018. The solution makes use of cryptographic libraries from the quantum-safe security solution provider, ISARA Corporation. Blackberry and ISARA’s combined technology can protect the software of long-lasting assets from a future in which quantum computers allow for traditional code signing schemes to be broken easily. Assets that can be protected include industrial controls, systems in critical infrastructure, telecommunications, connected cars, and transportation infrastructure.

Mike Brown, the chief technology officer and co-founder of ISARA, also made a statement, saying, “within the next eight to 10 years, experts estimate there will be a large-scale quantum computer capable of breaking today’s public key cryptography. The work we’re doing with Blackberry will give industries with durable connected devices the tools needed to secure their systems now and into the future.”

Through exploiting the properties of quantum mechanics, a large-scale quantum computer will be able to surpass today’s supercomputers and solve problems including factor-based encryption that protects everything, ranging from state secrets and banking records to autonomous vehicles and connected devices. Because public key cryptography is so pervasive, shifting to quantum-resistant systems will likely take multiple years. However, this migration is critical for enterprises, governments, and device vendors tasked with handling mission-critical infrastructure and safety-critical systems.   

To read Blackberry’s full press release, click here.