Apple regularly unloose security updates to plug known exploits that represent a clear-cut and present risk to iPhone drug user .
The update coming iniOS 17.4(and the various Mac and iPad counterparts ) is designed to safeguard against a threat that could see today ’s encrypted iMessage conversations being decrypted by more advanced work out technology in the time to come .
Apple has todayannounceda soil - cave in new PQ3 ( post - quantum cryptography ) security protocol , which it telephone “ the most substantial cryptographic security upgrade in iMessage history . ”
Apple say this builds upon the existing end - to - end encryption technology and is more equipped than any of the rival messaging services to resist “ even highly sophisticated quantum attacks ” .
Because that engineering is n’t usable for the most part , it ’s very much a future - think protection . Apple is concerned about a particular scenario know as Harvest Now , Decrypt by and by .
That have in mind bad actor could be steal and stockpiling the encrypted substance datum of user with the knowledge that they may be able to decrypt it one solar day , when they have access to a quantum electronic computer . And here ’s us thinking our schoolbook conversations are good now !
“ The premise is simple : such attacker can pull together large amounts of today ’s encrypted information and charge it all away for succeeding reference , ” Apple explain . “ Even though they ca n’t decrypt any of this data today , they can retain it until they produce a quantum information processing system that can decrypt it in the future , an fire scenario known as Harvest Now , Decrypt Later . ”
Thankfully , from iOS 17.4 onwards , those fright will be lessen . Apple says PQ3 will be the first that ’s repellent to these yet - to - happen attempt . That ’s because it ’s the first message protocol first to achieve Level 3 security .
“ To our noesis , PQ3 has the strongest protection properties of any at - shell messaging protocol in the world , ” Apple says .
Level 3 goes beyond Signal ’s deployment of Level 2 security , which offer PQC central governing body . Level 3 admit what Apple call “ ongoing PQC rekeying ” which provides the tribute against those dreaded harvest now and decrypt later attacks .
you could read all about it in piles of technical particular atApple ’s certificate web log .
