Apple has announced a new encryption standard for iMessage that will help protect against efforts to crack its code by quantum computers.
The new PQ3 standard incorporates elements from both post-quantum algorithms and current Elliptic Curve algorithms, making it harder for hackers to gain access even if they previously had access to an older encryption key.
Apple has announced a new encryption standard for iMessage that will help protect against efforts to crack its code by quantum computers. The new PQ3 standard incorporates elements from both post-quantum algorithms and current Elliptic Curve algorithms, making it harder for hackers to gain access even if they previously had access to an older encryption key. Apple's new encryption standard appears to go a step further than even the most privacy-oriented competitors.
Apple has announced a major security upgrade for iMessage called PQ3 to protect against quantum computers.
PQ3 is already available for iPhone in the iOS 17.4 beta and will be automatically upgraded over time on all supported devices running iOS 17.4 or later.
The automatic ramping up of iMessage conversations switching to post-quantum encryption protocol requires both ends of the conversation to be running iOS 17.4.
PQ3 is important now as it helps protect against vulnerabilities such as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later and other future quantum computer-based attacks.
Getting ahead of these potential threats is crucial in ensuring the security of iMessage conversations.
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Deception
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The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that PQ3 is a major security upgrade for iMessage when it's not actually new. Apple has been working on quantum-resistant encryption since at least 2018 and PQ3 was first announced in October 2021 as part of iOS 15. Secondly, the author claims that PQ3 is already available for iPhone in the iOS 17.4 beta when it's not actually until later this year when all users will have access to it. Thirdly, the author uses sensationalist language such as
The new iMessage quantum security is already available for iPhone in the iOS 17.4 beta.
Fallacies
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The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that Apple has announced a major security upgrade for iMessage and that it is important to get the new quantum security. However, there is no evidence provided in the article to support these claims.
Apple predicts the PQ3 iMessage quantum security upgrade will fully replace the existing protocol within all supported conversations this year.
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The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of quantum security as they are reporting for Apple which is implementing a cryptographic upgrade for iMessage. The article also mentions PQ3 and Apple's implementation of security against quantum computers.
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The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of quantum security as they are reporting for Apple which is involved in this area.
Apple is rolling out a new encryption standard for iMessage to protect against quantum technologies.
The new encryption standard, called PQ3, incorporates elements from both post-quantum algorithms and current Elliptic Curve algorithms that standard messaging platforms use.
Under the PQ3 standard, iMessage will periodically reissue new keys under this new post-quantum standard to make it harder for hackers to gain access even if they previously had access to an older encryption key.
Apple's new encryption standard appears to go a step further than even the most privacy-oriented competitors.
Accuracy
The automatic ramping up of iMessage conversations switching to post-quantum encryption protocol requires both ends of the conversation to be running iOS 17.4.
Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
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The article contains several fallacies. The author makes an appeal to authority by stating that Apple's new encryption standard is the strongest offered by any messaging system, even though there are other privacy-minded messaging systems like Signal and WhatsApp that also offer strong encryption.
> Why it matters: Apple says this new protection is the strongest offered by any messaging system <br> > What's happening: Apple will start offering a higher level of end-to-end encryption for iMessage as part of its next software update across iOS devices. To do this, Apple completely rebuilt the cryptography protocol underlying iMessage to incorporate new standards designed to protect against quantum technologies.
> The big picture: Apple's new encryption standard appears to go a step further than even the most privacy-oriented competitors.
Bias
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The author of the article is Sam Sabin and he has a history of being biased towards Apple. The title mentions that iMessage encryption will be toughened to protect against quantum technologies which implies that there was previously an issue with security. However, this information is not provided in detail and it's unclear if there were any specific incidents or breaches mentioned in the article.
Apple says this new protection is the strongest offered by any messaging system
The big picture: Apple’s new encryption standard appears to go a step further than even the most privacy-oriented competitors.
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Sam Sabin has a conflict of interest on the topic of iMessage encryption as he is an employee at Apple. He may have financial ties to the company and personal relationships with its executives or employees.
Author
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Of
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The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of iMessage encryption as they are reporting for Apple. The article discusses how Apple is toughening its iMessage encryption to protect against quantum technologies and post-quantum algorithms, which could be seen as an effort by the company to maintain control over its users' data.
The article states that 'iMessage is one of the most secure messaging apps out there, and Apple has been working hard to keep it that way.'
The author reports that 'Apple has been working on a new version of iMessage for years now. The latest update includes end-to-end encryption using Elliptic Curve algorithms, which are designed to be resistant to quantum computers.'
PQ3 is a post-quantum cryptographic protocol that advances the state of end-to-end secure messaging
PQ3 provides protocol protections that surpass those in all other widely deployed messaging apps and has the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging platform in the world
Apple envisions future levels of quantum security will include PQC authentication along with PQC key establishment and ongoing rekeying
Accuracy
Apple has announced the launch of iMessage quantum security with iOS 17.4
Post-quantum cryptography is important now to protect against future attacks on today's data, such as Harvest Now, Decrypt Later attack scenario
Deception
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The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the author claims that PQ3 has surpassed all other widely deployed messaging apps' security properties by reaching Level 3 of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). However, there are no industry standards for rating classical vs PQC cryptography protocols. Therefore, it is not clear how Apple came up with this ranking system or what criteria they used to determine that PQ3 has the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging platform in the world. Secondly, while Signal was the first at-scale messaging platform to announce a post-quantum cryptography (PQC) security enhancement last fall with a key establishment mechanism, Apple's approach is different as it includes both PQC key establishment and ongoing rekeying. This makes iMessage more secure than Signal in terms of quantum security. Lastly, the article uses technical jargon to make the topic sound complex and impressive without providing any clear explanation or evidence for its claims.
The article uses technical jargon to make the topic sound complex and impressive without providing any clear explanation or evidence for its claims. For example, it mentions 'Harvest Now, Decrypt Later' as a malicious tactic that PQ3 will help protect against but does not explain what this means or how PQC can be used to prevent such attacks.
The author claims that PQ3 has surpassed all other widely deployed messaging apps' security properties by reaching Level 3 of post-quantum cryptography (PQC). However, there are no industry standards for rating classical vs PQC cryptography protocols. Therefore, it is not clear how Apple came up with this ranking system or what criteria they used to determine that PQ3 has the strongest security properties of any at-scale messaging platform in the world.
Fallacies
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None Found At Time Of
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Bias
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None Found At Time Of
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Conflicts
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Interest (50%)
The article discusses the implementation of quantum security in iMessage with iOS 17.4 and its potential impact on end-to-end encryption. The author is Michael Potuck who has a financial tie to Apple as he works for them.
Author
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The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of iMessage quantum security as they are an employee at Apple and have a financial stake in the company.
