First Anti-Quantum Cyberattack Solution Released

ADVA, a software-automated solutions company, has launched the industry’s first optical transport solution secured by post-quantum cryptography (PQC). The FSP 3000 ConnectGuard™ optical encryption solution protects data against cyberattacks from quantum computers that could break today’s cryptographic algorithms.

Quantum computers are superior to regular computers in many ways because of their ultra-powerful processing capabilities. As the technology develops and becomes more readily available to a host of customers, concerns arise about its misuse in breaching security systems.

IBM is one company that already offers quantum computing services to businesses for all kinds of solutions and areas, including logistics and research. It even recently partnered with Daimler on a new generation of electric vehicles.

ADVA’s quantum-safe security technology relies on a hybrid key exchange system, combining PQC algorithms with classical encryption methods. Built for crypto-agility, the solution is ready for software updates in the future, which the company says ensures it “delivers the most robust network protection now and for decades to come”.

The 27-year-old company provides software-automated network solutions, working with cloud, mobility, IoT, 5G and now, quantum technologies. Headquartered in Munich, ADVA most recently acquired California-based tech company MRV Communications, Inc. in 2017 for $69 million.

“Our market-first FSP 3000 quantum-safe ConnectGuard^™ encryption technology answers the urgent threat posed by quantum computers and gives organizations a way to safeguard their networks before the danger materializes.

“Our customers’ data will be fully protected even from cybercriminals’ intent on harvesting information so that they can store it today and exploit it tomorrow”, said Christoph Glingener, CTO, ADVA. “We’re providing long-term security for data in motion. What’s more, our solution is ready to be upgraded later to comply with emerging specifications, including the NIST’s PQC standardization competition”.

As recommended by leading cybersecurity authorities, the PQC-protected ADVA FSP 3000 ConnectGuard^™ encryption solution utilizes the traditional Diffie-Hellman protocol and combines it with a newly developed algorithm based on the quantum-safe McEliece cryptosystem. This enables it to produce encryption keys that even powerful quantum computers will be unable to crack.

As well as delivering data integrity with quantum-safe Layer 1 AES-256 protection, the ADVA FSP 3000 ConnectGuard^™ encryption solution ensures minimal impact on latency, throughput and performance. The technology is also easily deployable over long-haul and multi-operator links.

“Organizations everywhere have woken up to the security threat that quantum computing represents. With many experts anticipating powerful commercially available quantum computers in the next decade, it’s now widely understood that the danger is very real and the stakes are enormously high. That’s why we’ve invested so much time and energy into developing the world’s first transport solution ready for the challenges ahead”, commented Jörg-Peter Elbers, SVP, advanced technology, ADVA.

“By integrating PQC security into our FSP 3000 ConnectGuard^™ optical encryption solution, we’re empowering our customers to protect their networks today against tomorrow’s threats. Our solution is easily deployable and only requires end-point access. What’s more, it works over any distance and in any optical transport network”.

You can find more information about ADVA and how the FSP 3000 ConnectGuard™ protects against quantum cyberattacks on its website.

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