In
cryptography
Cryptography, or cryptology (from "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or ''-logy, -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of Adversary (cryptography), ...
, CECPQ1 (combined elliptic-curve and post-quantum 1) is a
post-quantum
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC), sometimes referred to as quantum-proof, quantum-safe, or quantum-resistant, is the development of cryptographic algorithms (usually public-key algorithms) that are currently thought to be secure against a cryptan ...
key-agreement protocol
In cryptography, a key-agreement protocol is a protocol whereby two (or more) parties generate a cryptographic Key (cryptography), key as a function of information provided by each honest party so that no party can predetermine the resulting value ...
developed by
Google
Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
as a limited experiment
for use in
Transport Layer Security
Transport Layer Security (TLS) is a cryptographic protocol designed to provide communications security over a computer network, such as the Internet. The protocol is widely used in applications such as email, instant messaging, and voice over ...
(TLS) by
web browser
A web browser, often shortened to browser, is an application for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's scr ...
s.
It was succeeded by
CECPQ2.
Details
CECPQ1 was designed to test algorithms that can provide confidentiality even against an attacker who possesses a large
quantum computer
A quantum computer is a computer that exploits quantum mechanical phenomena. On small scales, physical matter exhibits properties of both particles and waves, and quantum computing takes advantage of this behavior using specialized hardware. ...
. It is a
key-agreement algorithm for TLS that combines
X25519
X, or x, is the twenty-fourth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is Wikt:ex#English, ''ex'' (pro ...
and
NewHope, a
ring learning with errors
In post-quantum cryptography, ring learning with errors (RLWE) is a computational problem which serves as the foundation of new cryptographic algorithms, such as NewHope, designed to protect against cryptanalysis by quantum computers and also t ...
primitive. Even if NewHope were to turn out to be compromised, the parallel X25519 key-agreement ensures that CECPQ1 provides at least the security of existing connections.
It was available in
Google Chrome
Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS, iOS, iPadOS, an ...
54 beta.
In 2016, its experimental use in Chrome ended and it was planned to be disabled in a later Chrome update.
It was succeeded by CECPQ2.
See also
*
Elliptic-curve Diffie–Hellman
Elliptic-curve Diffie–Hellman (ECDH) is a key agreement protocol that allows two parties, each having an Elliptic curve, elliptic-curve public–private key pair, to establish a shared secret over an insecure channel. This shared secret may be di ...
(ECDH) – an anonymous key agreement protocol
References
{{Reflist
Cryptographic protocols
Application layer protocols
Transport Layer Security