OnBoard Security Awarded Patent for Quantum-Safe Signing
Wilmington, MA (PRWEB) August 14, 2017 -- OnBoard Security™, a subsidiary of Security Innovation and a world leader in quantum-resistant cryptography announced today that they have been awarded a US patent for pqNTRUsign, a digital signature algorithm that can resist all known quantum computing attacks. pqNTRUsign will replace RSA and ECDSA, the most commonly used quantum-vulnerable signature schemes.
Digital signatures are required for secure contract management, software distribution, monetary transactions, and any electronic transaction where it is important to trust what is being sent to you. Indeed, the security of the fundamental internet Domain Name Server (DNS) system will continue to rely on unbreakable digital signatures.
A new technology, quantum computers, will be able to compromise all commonly used digital signatures within 5 to 10 years. By implementing pqNTRUsign before quantum computers arrive, companies will be able to continue to offer secure internet transactions and software distribution.
pqNTRUsign has its roots in NTRU, the most trusted and highly scrutinized quantum-safe algorithm ever created. pqNTRUsign will be submitted to both the NIST and ANSI X9 groups for nomination as a standard for the post-quantum world, following up on the successful ANSI X9.98 standardization of NTRUEncrypt in 2010.
Forging a pqNTRUsign signature is impossible now and in the post quantum age because it is based on the hardest lattice problems (i.e. most secure) in cryptography. A Root Hermite Factor of 1.005 is widely considered unbreakable for most lattice-based cryptosystems, so pqNTRUsign’s value of 1.0002 is significantly better. A low Root Hermite Factor also enables rapid batch verifications, making pqNTRUsign ideal for secure-boot and other trusted computing applications.
“We are pleased to build upon our history of quantum-resistant cryptography leadership,” explained Dr. William Whyte, Chief Technology Officer at OnBoard Security. “Receiving the patent for pqNTRUsign is the next step in making sure that our digital world remains secure after the arrival of quantum computers.”
pqNTRUsign has been granted US Patent 9,634,840.
First presented at PQCrypto conference in 2014, pqNTRUsign may be used under the GNU Public License (GPL) v3, and is available on GitHub. A paper presented at the 2016 International Conference on High Performance Computing & Simulation demonstrates that pqNTRUSign, already faster than RSA signing, can be sped up by a factor of up to 47. when run on certain Graphical Processing Units (GPUs).
In March, OnBoard Security placed all of its NTRUEncrypt patents in the public domain, so that they could be freely used without license or any other restriction.
About OnBoard Security
OnBoard Security, a subsidiary of Security Innovation, was created to help automotive and IoT organizations stay ahead of the curve through superior cybersecurity. For over 10 years, the world-renowned experts at OnBoard Security have been pioneering technologies that protect the Internet of Things, now and for the future. We address three significant challenges; ensuring the security and privacy of connected vehicles, making hardware roots of trust easy to use, and avoiding the existential threat from quantum computers to the integrity of the internet.
For more information, visit: http://www.onboardsecurity.com
Gene Carter, OnBoard Security, http://www.onboardsecurity.com, +1 978.905.6796, [email protected]
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