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Google Chrome launches Merkle Tree Certificates for quantum-resistant HTTPS

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H score 12
1 unique sources, 1 articles

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Google Chrome has launched a new security initiative to harden HTTPS against future quantum computers, and the change matters because it reworks certificate handling before post-quantum attacks become practical. The effort centers on Merkle Tree Certificates (MTCs), a lighter trust model designed to preserve web performance while improving certificate transparency and root trust infrastructure. Chrome is already testing on live traffic, with a phased rollout that reaches Q1 2027 and a dedicated quantum-resistant root store planned for Q3 2027.

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Timeline

  1. 02.03.2026 18:15 2 articles · 4mo ago

    Chrome launches MTC quantum-safe HTTPS plan

    Initial Disclosure

    Google Chrome launches Merkle Tree Certificates (MTCs) to protect HTTPS from future quantum-computer attacks, working through the IETF PLANTS working group to redesign certificate validation so it keeps TLS overhead lower than larger post-quantum X.509 certificates. Chrome says it is already testing MTCs on live internet traffic with Cloudflare as a feasibility study, keeping traditional X.509 certificates as a fail-safe, and it plans a first-quarter-2027 public MTC deployment step followed by a third-quarter-2027 Chrome Quantum-resistant Root Store dedicated to MTCs.

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