10 Mauritian Developers Win Google Award for Quantum-Resistant Software Innovation

On May 12, 2024, Cyberstorm.mu, a Mauritian cybersecurity group, received a recognition from Google for their work on strengthening the security of the open-source software Dropbear. The group integrated a quantum-resistant encryption algorithm into the software to better protect it against emerging threats from powerful quantum computers.

Quantum computers are advancing rapidly and could eventually break the encryption methods currently used to secure sensitive data, such as personal information and banking transactions.

In response, Cyberstorm.mu focused on making Dropbear, a widely used open-source software, more secure.

Google acknowledged the importance of their efforts and awarded the team, composed of Mauritian IT experts, for their innovation. The award was announced on May 12.

“We were very surprised and grateful for this recognition from Google,” said Loganaden Velvindron, a member of Cyberstorm.mu and Cyberstorm.global.

“We are in ongoing discussions with Google about this technology, which is still in the experimental stage. As artificial intelligence (AI) evolves, we want to help improve it because we find it very interesting.”

The team includes: Loganaden Velvindron, Atish Joottun, Meryl Li Shing, Poshan Peeroo, Bhovanen Murday, Kevin Yerkiah, Muhammed Ali Koheealee, Ritesh Gomind, Devraj Appadu, and Arya Ramsurn.

Cyberstorm.mu is inviting others interested in joining their efforts to contact them at join@cyberstorm.mu.

Velvindron also highlighted the future potential of AI, noting that the team has used AI-based technology to validate their security work.

“We use AI mainly to detect potential vulnerabilities,” he explained.

“This approach helps us analyze faster, but it does not replace human expertise. AI is a tool that enhances our ability to identify security flaws efficiently.”

Dropbear, the software they enhanced, is embedded in many devices, including modems, cars, smartphones, cloud services, Wi-Fi hotspots, Starlink systems, and other connected devices.

The team developed an encryption algorithm capable of resisting attacks from quantum computers.

Major tech companies like Google, Cloudflare, Meta, Mozilla, IBM, Microsoft, and Intel are advocating for the adoption of such quantum-resistant encryption.

Velvindron describes Cyberstorm.global as a small but passionate group of tech enthusiasts. “Compared to large tech communities in the US and Europe, our resources are limited.

However, by leveraging advances made by giants like Google, smaller groups like ours can have a real, global impact on billions of internet users,” he said.

Cyberstorm.mu also plans to share its expertise with universities and tech events.

They thank their supporters, sponsors, and the Ministry of ICT, which invited them to contribute ideas for a national AI blueprint.

Their goal is to help position Mauritius as a regional hub for advanced AI development.

Finally, Velvindron expressed hope that Mauritius could benefit from US export controls on AI-related hardware.

“The UAE received support for their StarGate UAE project; why not make Mauritius the StarGate of AI in Africa?” he concluded.

Source: Defi Media