Cloudflare plans quantum-safe TLS certificates for websites
The certificates are meant to help sites prepare for post-quantum attacks without adding performance overhead.
Cloudflare said it will start issuing quantum-safe TLS certificates, a move aimed at helping websites prepare for post-quantum attacks without adding performance overhead. It plans to use an open source system that pairs standard TLS certificates with Merkle Tree Certificates, and it says the hybrid certificates will be free for both paying and non-paying users. To make the rollout practical across the WebPKI ecosystem, Cloudflare will acquire a trusted certificate root from CA GlobalSign. The company says this could let millions of websites switch to post-quantum certificates with minimal friction, though the broader infrastructure change will take years and depend on browser, operating system, certificate authority, and infrastructure vendors.
Why it matters
If Cloudflare delivers this at scale, websites can move to post-quantum certificates with less friction and no extra cost for users who rely on its free or paid service. The harder part is the wider WebPKI shift, which will still depend on many engineers and vendors over several years.
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Sources
- Ars Technica