The growing threat of quantum technology makes post-quantum cryptography a crucial tool for protecting data. In this post, we discuss how post-quantum cryptography is being implemented in TLS connections, what progress has been made in Hungary, and how you can check the security of your connections with our simple tool.

As quantum computers advance, so must our cybersecurity measures — starting with post-quantum cryptography. Only through robust and comprehensive security measures can we ensure that our data remains protected against the power of quantum computers now and in the future.

While TLS connections that use post-quantum protection are only a part of the overall solution, their adoption rate offers valuable insight into the progress being made in securing data against future quantum threats. (TLS, short for Transport Layer Security, is a protocol for encrypting internet communication, and its most advanced versions now include post-quantum cryptography to guard against quantum-based attacks.)

The latest trends of adoption

In March 2024, Cloudflare reported that nearly 2% of all TLS 1.3 connections established through their services are secured with post-quantum cryptography, with expectations to reach double-digit adoption by the end of 2024. However, by April, post-quantum encryption adoption had already surpassed these predictions: over 13% of human requests over TLS 1.3 were protected by quantum-resistant security and today that number almost tripled and reached almost 35%. You can follow the actual numbers in Clodflare’s intuitive Radar service.

Post-quantum cryptography is a priority for us, and we believe it’s essential for ensuring long-term data security, therefore we conducted our own research to explore the status in our country. We analyzed more than 300 thousand domains, and we will continue to monitor progress closely in the future. We found with our research that 4.58% of all Hungarian TLS users (including TLS 1.3) are currently utilizing post-quantum cryptography, which is a promising sign but shows the need for greater adoption.

The total number of connections tested was 363,262. Of these,11,877 were TLS 1.3 secured with X25519-Kyber (post-quantum encryption), while 196,160 used TLS 1.3 but without post-quantum protection. Another 51,050 connections did not use TLS 1.3, and thus lacked post-quantum security. Lastly, 104,175 connections either failed to connect or encountered other errors.

In light of these findings, we are pleased to see that regulatory frameworks are also supporting this shift. In Hungary, an act regarding the electronic information security of state and local government bodies mandates the use of post-quantum solutions. Additionally, the EU’s NIS2 directive reinforces the need for stronger cybersecurity measures across member states.

Check your connections!

Cloudflare’s research engineer Bas Westerbaan created a simple Firefox add-on to display this information. Mr Westerbaan’s project really inspired us and made us realize that this tool and information should be available to people. So we created our own version that also works in Chromium-based browsers, like Chrome besides Firefox. We will soon publish it for download and for you to use it as an extension.

You will be able to check how much of your daily browsing is already secured with post-quantum cryptography. If you need assistance with our tool, or if you’re interested in strengthening your security measures on a broader level, reach out to us. As i4p was the first company to integrate post-quantum cryptographic algorithms into an HSM, we’re here to help you based on our experience.