Chrome launches quantum-resistant HTTPS plan

Google Chrome has unveiled a multi-year plan to future-proof HTTPS against quantum computing threats by overhauling digital certificate architecture, reports Infosecurity Magazine.

Working through the Internet Engineering Task Force PLANTS group, Google engineers are developing Merkle Tree Certificates to address the size and performance challenges of post-quantum cryptography. Instead of relying on traditional X.509 chains, the new model signs a single "Tree Head" representing millions of certificates, allowing browsers to validate sites using compact proofs derived from a Merkle tree. This design reduces data exchanged during TLS handshakes and embeds transparency directly into issuance, minimizing reliance on separate Certificate Transparency logs.

Chrome has begun live traffic testing with Cloudflare and outlined a three-phase rollout through 2027, culminating in a dedicated quantum-resistant root store operating alongside its current trust framework. The company said it aims to modernize governance with streamlined revocation and externally verifiable monitoring while maintaining compatibility with existing certificate authorities during the transition.