Abstract
Quantum risk is a business risk—and Signal Messenger isn’t waiting for quantum computers to arrive. In this episode of Shielded: The Last Line of Cyber Defense, Johannes Lintzen welcomes Rolfe Schmidt, Research Engineer at Signal Messenger, to explore how one of the world’s most privacy-focused messaging platforms implemented post-quantum cryptography—even with a lean team.
What You’ll Learn:
✔️How Signal’s lean team structure shaped their pragmatic, step-by-step approach to PQC migration
✔️Why hybrid cryptography serves as both a transition strategy and long-term security measure
✔️The strategic decision-making process behind prioritizing Harvest Now, Decrypt Later protection
✔️How to integrate post-quantum updates into regular product development workflows
✔️The challenges and potential solutions for implementing quantum-safe zero-knowledge proofs in metadata protection
✔️How Signal’s bandwidth optimization enables post-quantum security without compromising user experience
✔️Why inventorying cryptographic assets and understanding their purpose is crucial before starting PQC migration
✔️The importance of collaboration with the research community when facing unsolved cryptographic challenges
✔️How Signal’s evolving ratcheting protocol demonstrates the need for flexibility in early-stage PQC standardization
Rolfe Schmidt is a Research Engineer at Signal Messenger, where he spearheads the organization’s post-quantum cryptography initiatives. As the cryptography engineering lead, he has been instrumental in implementing Signal’s groundbreaking post-quantum secure messaging protocols, including the successful deployment of ML-KEM (formerly Kyber) for harvest-now-decrypt-later protection in 2023. Schmidt’s expertise spans cryptographic protocol design, zero-knowledge proofs, and secure messaging systems, making him a key figure in Signal’s transition to quantum-safe security. His work has directly impacted billions of users across platforms that implement the Signal protocol, including WhatsApp and Google Messages.
Listen to how Signal made post-quantum readiness real—no massive team or budget required.
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