Google Cloud has enabled a post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithm on its internal Application Layer Transport Security (ALTS) protocol to protect its internal communications.
Althought PQC standards by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) are still pending, Google said it has acted to implement PQC now because attackers might capture conventionally-encrypted now with the intention of breaking it once they gain access to quantum capabilities at some point in the future (also known as the store-now-decrypt-later attack).
“Protecting ALTS against quantum-capable adversaries is a huge step forward in Google’s mission to protect our assets and users’ data against current and future threats.”
