Shaping the future of quantum-safe communication

17 februari 2025

Fiona 奥别产别谤鈥檚 research helped to develop secure communication protocols that can withstand future quantum attacks, protecting sensitive information, and ensuring digital privacy for individuals.

image: iStockphoto.com

Quantum computing, while promising groundbreaking technological advancements, also presents a significant threat to the encryption methods that safeguard our digital communication today. Recognizing this, PhD researcher Fiona Weber developed innovative approaches to tackle these challenges, ensuring communication systems remain secure in the face of quantum technology. Her work is crucial in preparing for a future where quantum computers could potentially compromise sensitive information. She defended her thesis on Monday, February 3.

PhD researcher Fiona Weber

Developing quantum-safe protocols

research led to the development of quantum-secure handshake protocols that ensure digital connections remain safe from quantum-powered attacks.

For example, she redesigned the popular WireGuard VPN protocol to create PQWireGuard, a version resistant to quantum threats.

She also extended the Noise framework, widely used for secure communication, by incorporating quantum-resistant features. These advancements provide developers with practical tools for building secure communication channels that are ready for the challenges of the quantum era.

Safeguarding satellite communications

In collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), she developed a secure protocol to protect communications between satellites and mission control centers.

Her research significantly strengthened the security of these crucial links and laid the foundation for secure satellite-to-satellite communication. This work addressed the unique challenges of space communication, ensuring it can remain resilient in the face of emerging quantum technologies.

Enhancing privacy in group chats

奥别产别谤鈥檚 research also focused on privacy in online communication. She introduced epochal signatures, which allow group chats to be deniable, which means that there is no cryptographic proof to confirm whether a conversation really happened.

This helped to preserve privacy while maintaining the integrity of messages.

Key outcomes

奥别产别谤鈥檚 work conclusively demonstrated that handshake protocols can be made secure against quantum threats.

Additionally, she proved that digital communication systems can be designed to offer plausible deniability, allowing privacy decisions to be guided more by social and political factors, rather than just technical feasibility.

A legacy of secure communication

By blending cutting-edge theory with practical implementation, 奥别产别谤鈥檚 research helps to shape a digital future that is both secure and respectful of privacy.

Her work has shown that, no matter how technology evolves, the tools designed to protect communication systems will remain robust, trustworthy, and prepared for the challenges of the quantum era.

Supervisors: dr. A.T. H眉lsing, prof.dr. T. Lange