quantumcomputingreport.com
Sep 30, 2026
Cloudflare Launches Public Certificate Authority to Secure the Web Against Quantum Threats
AI-summarised brief · reviewed before publication
Cloudflare announced plans to launch a public Certificate Authority (CA) that will issue both traditional TLS certificates and post‑quantum Merkle Tree Certificates (MTCs). The company will acquire GlobalSign’s root key material and apply for inclusion in major browser root stores, ensuring immediate backward compatibility. MTCs batch certificate requests into a Merkle tree, signing only the tree head to reduce signature size and maintain auditability. Cloudflare will pilot the system on its edge network, with full production issuance slated for Q1 2027.
💡 Why It Matters
- · By creating a scalable, post‑quantum CA, Cloudflare addresses the looming risk of quantum‑enabled decryption attacks that could cripple the web’s trust infrastructure.
- · The Merkle Tree approach offers a practical path to quantum resistance without sacrificing performance or compatibility.
