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Exhibit 7 of 23
Hall 2 · Exhibit 2 1 min

TLS, HTTPS & Certificates

How internet security actually works

StandardTLS 1.3 (RFC 8446)
Trust modelCAs → browser Root Store (~100 trusted CAs)
Asymmetric used inCA signature + session-key exchange
Quantum riskForge a CA key → forge any site's padlock
Try it yourself
TLS Handshake Theater
Step through a TLS 1.3 handshake with a quantum attacker.

The Man-in-the-Middle Problem

In the early internet, data traveled as plaintext. HTTPS added encryption, but encryption alone does not solve identity. A hacker intercepting your browser's request for a bank's public key can substitute their own — this is a Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack.

Digital Certificates and Certificate Authorities

Certificate Authorities (CAs) — DigiCert, GlobalSign, Let's Encrypt — verify website identities and issue certificates signed with the CA's private key. Your browser ships with a Root Store containing ~100 trusted CA public keys. Trust flows downward: browser trusts CA, CA vouches for website.

The TLS Handshake: Step by Step

  • •Step 1 — Client Hello: Browser announces supported algorithms and sends a random number
  • •Step 2 — Server Hello & Certificate: Server selects algorithms and sends its certificate
  • •Step 3 — Verification & Key Exchange: Browser verifies certificate, generates a session key, encrypts it with server's public key
  • •Step 4 — Switch to Symmetric: Server decrypts the session key. Both sides share the same key
  • •Step 5 — Secure Data Transfer: All subsequent communication uses fast AES encryption
TLS 1.3 handshakeClient (browser)Server (example.com)1. Client Hellociphers + key share2. Server Hello + Certificatecipher + cert (CA-signed)3. Key share / Finishedderive session key4. Application dataAES-GCMASYMMETRICSYMMETRIC
Two asymmetric messages set the stage; the rest of the session runs on symmetric speed.

Why TLS Is the Ultimate Quantum Target

The handshake relies on asymmetric cryptography in two critical places: the CA's digital signature on the certificate, and the key exchange that transports the session key. If a quantum computer can reverse-engineer the CA's private key, it can forge perfect certificates for any website. Browsers would show green padlocks for attacker-controlled servers. The entire chain of trust would evaporate.

This is the 'quantum apocalypse' scenario — not just breaking one connection, but collapsing the entire trust infrastructure of the internet.

See the handshake break in TLS Theater
Pre-loaded at step 3 with the quantum attacker on. Toggle hybrid PQC and watch it hold.

Explore more in the atlas

Key Takeaways

  • TLS handshakes use asymmetric crypto in two critical places quantum computers can attack
  • Certificate Authorities form a chain of trust verified by your browser's Root Store
  • If a quantum computer forges a CA's private key, the entire trust model collapses

Primary sources