Encryption gateway vendor eperi and Deutsche Telekom have presented a joint quantum encryption solution that will prevent even the most advanced computers from cracking encryption algorithms. The approach, one of the first of its kind, will also be able to protect data in SaaS applications like Office 365, Salesforce or custom apps against this threat. Key to this is PQC (Post Quantum Cryptography), advanced encryption algorithms developed by the Technische Universität (TU) Darmstadt.
“Quantum computers are not science fiction anymore,” said Elmar Eperiesi-Beck, CEO of eperi. “There is growing evidence that intelligence agencies are working on prototypes that allow them to crack currently safe algorithms. In the near future, the most important of our secure encryption algorithms could become obsolete, a potential nightmare scenario for data protection efforts.”
The team, headed by Prof. Dr. Johannes Buchmann from TU Darmstadt, has been cooperating with eperi and Deutsche Telekom to integrate these PQC algorithms into eperi’s encryption gateway. This solution encrypts data before it leaves an organisation to be processed or stored in the cloud, allowing enterprises to remain in control of who can access their data, even in decentralised IT structures.
In two session talks at Magenta Security 2017, Munich Germany, which was where the announcement was made, eperi founder and CEO Elmar Eperiesi-Beck and Professor Johannes Buchmann explained how all organisations profit from better data protection in the cloud era. Personal data, such as employee information, or sensitive enterprise data like patents and research are an easy target for espionage and data theft. Progressively stricter data protection laws like the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) are putting immense pressure on everyone processing data.
“One of the biggest advantages of the eperi Gateway is that the user can fully control the encryption and switch out their algorithms if needed,” said Prof. Buchmann. “To be prepared for the threats of tomorrow, organisations have to protect themselves now. The eperi Gateway allows them to do that in an efficient and totally secure way.”
