Cloudflare plans to issue quantum-safe TLS certificates
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Cloudflare has announced plans to issue quantum-safe TLS certificates, marking a significant step toward securing the web against future quantum computer attacks. The company intends to use Merkle Tree Certificates, an open-source solution that significantly reduces the data overhead typically associated with post-quantum cryptography. To facilitate this transition, Cloudflare will acquire a trusted root from CA GlobalSign and offer these hybrid certificates for free to all users. This initiative is part of a broader overhaul of the WebPKI ecosystem, which currently relies on classical signatures vulnerable to Shor’s algorithm. By coupling certificate issuance with public transparency logs through Merkle Trees, Cloudflare aims to ensure integrity without breaking current internet performance standards. Although the full implementation requires extensive coordination across browsers and operating systems, Cloudflare expects to begin issuing these certificates in the first quarter of 2027.
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