La UPV participa en un proyecto internacional en el que se desarrollarán protocolos criptográficos que garanticen la máxima seguridad en las comunicaciones
In everyday actions such as an online conversation or a transaction, there are certain encryption operations whose keys are practically impossible to obtain, guaranteeing our security and privacy. It is complicated to find them out because they are based on “complex” mathematical problems, which only quantum computing could tackle (since it converts these problems into simple operations), allowing them to be decrypted and endangering our security and privacy.
To address this future threat, a team of researchers from the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV), belonging to the VRAIN Institute, will participate over the next three years in an international project that will develop and analyze cryptographic protocols to ensure maximum security in communications, making them more “resistant” even against these possible attacks with quantum computers. The project, called FAVPQC (Formal Analysis and Verification of Post-Quantum Cryptographic Protocols) will work together with experts from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST), Mayis University (Turkey) and the University of Rouen Normandy (France).
“Quantum computers already exist today, but their deployment is limited, so there is no risk. To anticipate the scenario of universal quantum programming, different groups around the world are working on the development and validation of communication protocols to make them impassable even in the face of attacks based on quantum computing. And this is the goal of this international project,” says Santiago Escobar, researcher at the VRAIN Institute of the Universitat Politècnica de València.
The most powerful analysis tool in the world, with UPV seal of approval
Thus, within the framework of the FAVPQC project, post-quantum cryptographic protocols will be developed and analyzed using Maude-NPA. This is currently the most advanced software in the world for the study of communication protocols using advanced cryptographic properties and bears the seal of the VRAIN Institute of the UPV.
Maude-NPA helps to find security flaws or verify that a protocol is free of attacks. The software is free and enables analysis of cryptographic security protocols, taking into account the algebraic properties of the cryptosystem. “Sometimes these properties can uncover weaknesses in cryptosystems and, in other cases, they are part of the security assumptions of the protocol. All this contributes to deciphering Maude-NPA,” says Santiago Escobar.
During the project, proposals for post-quantum protocols submitted to the international competition organized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States will be analyzed. This organization has been promoting for several years an initiative to respond to the security challenges arising from quantum computing. UPV researchers will contribute to “deciphering” the levels of security that some of the protocols already developed to deal with these attacks with quantum computers can offer.
“When dealing with data, information security and privacy become vital. This project will have an impact on more powerful and secure communications protocols in the face of attacks carried out with a quantum computer,” says Santiago Escobar.
The project will begin next April and will conclude in March 2024.
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