Even Quantum Computers Can’t Crack This Encryption

That’s why NIST was launched in 2016 competition Searching for new cryptographic methods that are resistant to quantum computers. In 2022, the agency announced the first round of winners, which included Crystal-Kyber The scheme was co-authored by Boss, who is the technical lead of the post-quantum cryptography team at NXP Semiconductor In Leuven, Belgium.

Today, Bos is focused on integrating the algorithm into NXP’s embedded hardware product portfolio, which includes chips for credit cards, contactless payment terminals, IoT devices, and automobiles.

As someone who loves solving puzzles, Boss was well-suited to a career in cryptography, he says. The fact that he can help make the world a safer place while doing something he enjoys is a huge bonus.

“If doing this research was practically useless, I would probably do it,” he says. “But it’s very cool when you can solve interesting mathematical puzzles, and then, in the end, that will have a very positive impact on everyone around you.”

Crypto discovery

Bos grew up in a small town near Haarlem in the Netherlands, and was fortunate to have an early exposure to technology. His father worked in a bank and had a desktop computer at home. Boss started out using it to play video games, but became fascinated with the underlying technology and quickly picked up programming skills. By the age of fifteen, he was already working freelance programming jobs for different companies.

In high school, learn more formal topics in computer science, such as algorithms and computational complexity. He found these subjects fascinating and in 2001 he enrolled at university University of Amsterdam To pursue a bachelor’s degree in computer science. After graduating in 2004, he stayed on to pursue a master’s degree in grid computing, which he completed in 2006.

“If you design a cool algorithm, it might end up in Microsoft’s cryptocurrency library.”

While working on his master’s degree, Boss says he found himself drifting toward algorithm design and more math-heavy computer science, but he was also keen to continue working on practical problems. Then he discovered the cipher that connected his interests. “It’s really the intersection of engineering, computer science and mathematics,” he says.

This realization prompted Boss to apply for a Ph.D. Program in the famous crypto lab Arjen Leinstra in Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne In Switzerland. Bos accepted and began in 2007, just as the lab began investigating the use of unconventional devices — such as game consoles — to do cryptanalysis, the process of breaking encryption.

Ph.D. The project involved building and using a collection of over 200 PlayStation 3 controllers Break the popular encryption system Based on the mathematics of elliptic curves. Multi-core processors are used for consoles Cell structure Developed by IBM, Sonyand Toshibawhich was well suited to running many computing operations in parallel, as required in cryptanalysis.

Learning about synapses

During the Ph.D. Studies, Boss worked on a summer project with another famous researcher, Peter Montgomerywho was in Microsoft Research at that time. The pair struck up, and he was invited to become a postdoctoral researcher in Montgomery’s lab in Redmond, Wash., after completing his Ph.D., Boss says. In 2012.

Boss says that moving from academia to corporate R&D was an invaluable experience, as he was able to see how research is translated into real-world products. “That was really motivating,” he says. “If you design a great algorithm, it could end up in Microsoft’s cryptocurrency library, which is then used by hundreds of millions of people around the world.”

While at Microsoft, Boss began working on an emerging approach known as network-based cryptography, which is based on the mathematics of vectors in the network. These schemes were promising because they could be used for both quantum secure encryption and fully homomorphic encryption, a technique that makes it possible to perform mathematical operations on encrypted data without first decrypting it.

But after two years in the United States, Boss and his wife wanted to be closer to home. So, in 2014, he got a job as a crypto researcher at NXP and moved to Belgium. He joined the company’s innovation team, which delivers product features several years into the company’s product roadmap.

By then, advances in quantum computing made it clear that more secure encryption methods would be important, Boss says. So work in collaboration with researchers from armibm, SRI Internationaland several universities. He helped design the lattice-based CRYSTALS-Kyber encryption system, which was submitted to NIST in 2017.

From crypto research to products

Since then, Bos has focused on implementing the algorithm in NXP embedded devices. Network-based encryption requires much more memory than older methods, making it difficult to run on smaller chips like those in ID cards or IoT sensors. His team had to make changes to the underlying mathematics of the algorithm and redesign it to run on these specialized chips.

Boss says his job has evolved significantly over the years. He went from doing pure research to leading a team and collaborating closely with other departments to translate their innovations into actual products. He says he had to work hard to develop the skills needed to serve as an interface between engineers and business-focused teams.

He says that being a team leader is a very stressful role, because NXP has to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to post-quantum cryptography. The chips it designs are used at the beginning of a long supply chain, where they must be integrated into larger systems made by component manufacturers, he explains. These systems are then sold to device makers or car companies that have to integrate them into final products.

Each of these steps can take years, Boss says. This means that NXP chips must be quantum safe now So that end users can meet the government’s recommended deadlines for moving to post-quantum cryptography by the early 2030s.

Friendly area

One of the things Boss likes most about crypto is that the field is relatively small and welcoming. “Everyone is so friendly,” he says. “If you go to a cryptocurrency conference, the big names, the people who really invented crypto in the 1970s, still come to these events and you can meet them in person.”

Boss adds that the size of the field also means a shortage of cryptographers, so it’s a field with great career prospects. While many roles require strong mathematical skills, there are plenty of opportunities for those with a more traditional background in computer science, and companies are always looking for electrical engineers to build encoders.

A graduate degree in one of these fields is a bonus, but companies like NXP do a lot of internships, so it’s not strictly necessary, Buss says. Taking courses in cryptography or online security online or while at university can be a big differentiator, he adds. But the most important thing is the right attitude. “All you need to do is be motivated, curious, and willing to learn,” Boss says. “I think those are actually the biggest factors.”