Apple’s Quantum Leap: iMessage’s Game-Changing Security Upgrade

There were already plenty of reasons to look forward to the next iPhone update, due in early March. But now, Apple has announced something completely unexpected, which will make a huge difference. Get ready for quantum computer protection for iMessage. Seriously.

Introducing PQ3: A Revolutionary Upgrade

With iOS 17.4 comes a game-changing upgrade to iMessages. David Phelan. In a support note issued on February 21, Apple said, “Today we are announcing the most significant cryptographic security upgrade in iMessage history with the introduction of PQ3, a groundbreaking post-quantum cryptographic protocol that advances the state of the art of end-to-end secure messaging.”

Enhancing Security in a Quantum Computing Era

If you thought that Apple already had encryption in iMessage, you’d be right. But this takes things to another level. Apple says it will be “the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging protocol in the world.”

Other services take security seriously, too, with Signal announcing a “post-quantum cryptography security enhancement. Apple welcomed this and has said that this offers level 2 security. Current iMessage security, until iOS 17.4 arrives, manages level 1, in Apple’s view, as does WhatsApp, it says. When iOS 17.4 is out, PQ3, in Apple’s judgment, will reach, you guessed it, level 3 of security.

It will also arrive on other Apple platforms that have iMessage, that is iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.

The Quantum Threat and Apple’s Proactive Approach

If you’re wondering where quantum computing comes in, it’s this. It’s thought that in the future, quantum computers will be able to overcome encryption levels available today. Which means that if hackers, for instance, can get hold of images now, they can work out what they said when quantum computers are up to it.

Apple says, “A sufficiently powerful quantum computer could solve these classical mathematical problems in fundamentally different ways, and therefore—in theory—do so fast enough to threaten the security of end-to-end encrypted communications. Although quantum computers with this capability don’t exist yet, extremely well-resourced attackers can already prepare for their possible arrival by taking advantage of the steep decrease in modern data storage costs. The premise is simple: such attackers can collect large amounts of today’s encrypted data and file it all away for future reference. Even though they can’t decrypt any of this data today, they can retain it until they acquire a quantum computer that can decrypt it in the future, an attack scenario known as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later.”

Privacy as a Fundamental Human Right

Nobody wants their messages seen by others, whether that’s just innocuous nonsense like, “I’m on the bus, home in 20,” detailed business-critical messages or strategic plans sent in the field in a war zone.

Privacy is central to Apple, with the company describing it as a fundamental human right. This kind of security upgrade is to be welcomed and offers real peace of mind.

The Significance of PQ3 in Future-proofing Communication

Apple (AAPL) is ratcheting up the security of its iMessage app to protect users against future attacks by high-powered, nation-state hackers. The company says it is updating the security protocol behind iMessage to combat attacks using quantum computers.

According to Apple, while it’s difficult to break the company’s current encryptions using conventional supercomputers, quantum computers could make cracking those encryptions child’s play. To that end, the company is introducing what it calls its PQ3 cryptographic protocol, a new form of encrypting users’ messages that will exist alongside Apple’s existing encryption tools.

The reason for the move, Apple says, is to prevent what are referred to as “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks. The idea is relatively simple: Sophisticated attackers suck up encrypted data, whether that’s a person’s texts or government secrets, with the hope of decrypting that information in the future when quantum computers become powerful and reliable enough to do so.

Quantum computers are fundamentally different from the supercomputers in use today. Conventional supercomputers perform calculations using binary code, which is made up of strings of 1s and 0s that systems translate into everything from YouTube videos to the webpage you’re reading this on.

The IBM Quantum System One quantum computing system is seen during a groundbreaking ceremony at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Friday, Oct. 13, 2023, in Troy, N.Y. (Hans Pennink/AP Images for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

But quantum computers aren’t exactly available at your local Best Buy. The systems are generally used by major tech firms — IBM (IBM) has famously been working with the technology for years — and government agencies.

What’s more, quantum computers aren’t as reliable as conventional supercomputers. But security experts fear when they reach a certain level of power and reliability, they’ll easily cut through traditional encryption methods.