Major iMessage Security Update Announced by Apple
The latest on iMessage
A post-quantum cryptographic protocol that achieves Level 3 security, PQ3, is the new addition to Apple’s iMessage, a major cryptographic security update.
Devices can now create secure encryption keys for initial messages and use a new post-quantum rekeying procedure to prevent key compromise with the introduction of PQ3, quantum encryption standard uses Kyber public keys for iMessage.
This system checks for compromised encryption keys and periodically updates them within chats to protect future messages.
To breach PQ3’s security, attackers will be able to crack both the regular Elliptic Curve cryptography and the post-quantum encryption protocols.
The protocol also has safeguards in place to deal with bigger key sizes without compromising user experience. Although PQ3 acknowledges the potential dangers of quantum computing, it continues to depend on conventional cryptography for authentication.
Regular assessments are being planned to account aging capabilities of quantum computing.
