Vodafone and  SandboxAQ (a spin-off from Alphabet) have conducted a proof-of-concept test for a quantum safe VPN.

The test was conducted using standard smartphones, connected to the VPN, that had been specifically adapted by Vodafone/SandboxAQ using cryptography algorithms from the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

Adapting a standard smartphone for the test allowed Vodafone/SandboxAQ to evaluate the latest NIST standards in a real-life telecommunications scenario.

Governments are adopting NIST standards as part of their planning to mitigate the potential risk Quantum Computing poses today. One of those risks is SNDL (Store Now Decrypt Later).

 

Vodafone’s Head of Research and Development Luke Ibbetson said: “The Store Now, Decrypt Later attack involves adversaries stealing encrypted data now so they can decrypt it in the future with a quantum computer. Although cryptographically relevant quantum computers may remain some years off, the threat posed by quantum-empowered attackers is already here today.”

According to some online reports, threat actors may already be harvesting data in anticipation of the quantum computing revolution.

Although there is no hard evidence that long-lived sensitive data, such as government records, corporate intellectual property, and even individual biodata, may already be at risk, Vodafone has started work on this now by testing new cryptography in partnership with key industry players.

While it’s true this will not protect vulnerable data which may have been already harvested and stored for future decryption, Vodafone believes in taking the necessary steps now to mitigate as much risk as possible going forward.

Its goal is to work in tandem with partners to migrate data in an orderly fashion to suitable, post quantum cryptographic methods now to protect customers, governments, and society from future SNDL attacks.