X

PureVPN Begins Rolling Out Quantum-Resistant Encryption Keys

The virtual private network says it aims to keep encrypted communications captured today from being cracked in a fast-approaching post-quantum world.

Rae Hodge Former senior editor
Rae Hodge was a senior editor at CNET. She led CNET's coverage of privacy and cybersecurity tools from July 2019 to January 2023. As a data-driven investigative journalist on the software and services team, she reviewed VPNs, password managers, antivirus software, anti-surveillance methods and ethics in tech. Prior to joining CNET in 2019, Rae spent nearly a decade covering politics and protests for the AP, NPR, the BBC and other local and international outlets.
Rae Hodge
2 min read
purevpn-300x250usjc
PureVPN

Virtual private network provider PureVPN began rolling out its latest privacy feature Tuesday, quantum-resistant encryption keys. The company said it aims to future-proof encrypted user traffic generated and captured today against the threat of potential decryption by quantum computers within the next decade. The VPN's advance encryption keys were produced and deployed using the Quantum Origin platform, marking the first phase of PureVPN's larger quantum-proofing strategy. 

The company, which currently touts a network of more than 3 million users and 6,500 servers, cited a study from Dimensional Research, asserting that 89% of 600 cybersecurity experts across the world predict that current encryption will be compromised by quantum computing power by 2026. 

Read more: VPN FAQ: What you need to know about the basics of virtual private networks

"Mathematical problems that would currently take a traditional supercomputer until the end of time, will be solved by a quantum computer in a matter of hours," PureVPN CEO Uzair Gadit said in a Tuesday release. "Quantum computers will outperform even the most powerful supercomputer that exists in this day and age, meaning all current encryption protocols will be broken in time." 

PureVPN said the quantum-resistant encryption keys are the first step in a multiphase transitional plan toward its quantum-resistant algorithms, which the company said are currently going through an approval process by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 

"Once the algorithms have been defined, that will be the next step in our quantum journey," the company said.

Read more: Quantum computers could crack today's encrypted messages. That's a problem

PureVPN said its quantum-resistant encryption keys will be initially rolled out along with split tunneling and obfuscation features on Windows, Mac, iOS and Android apps. The trio of features will first be deployed in the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, Germany and the Netherlands.