ATON said on the 3rd that it signed a contract with NH Investment & Securities to supply a server-stored authentication solution based on post-quantum cryptography (PQC).
Under the contract, ATON will apply a PQC-based authentication system across all customer-facing channels at NH Investment & Securities, including the mobile trading system (MTS), web trading system (WTS), and home trading system (HTS). Users can use the same certificate regardless of the access channel, and the entire authentication process will shift to a security framework prepared for the quantum computing era.
ATON said it focused on minimizing security blind spots by applying the same PQC authentication to all access channels, including mobile apps, the web, and the installed HTS. Because keeping only part of the authentication paths on the legacy cryptographic system can lower the overall security level, it said switching all channels simultaneously is necessary to ensure effectiveness.
ATON's server-stored authentication solution keeps certificates on a server rather than on the user's device. During authentication, it uses the white-box–based secure storage medium "QuantumSafe Box" to store and process certificates safely. As a result, even if a smartphone is replaced or the application is reinstalled, there is no need to reissue the certificate, and the same certificate can be used consecutively across multiple channels.
The solution incorporates the post-quantum algorithm "ML-DSA," adopted as a standard by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), along with ATON's white-box cryptography. It uses a hybrid structure that supports both traditional RSA cryptography and PQC, enabling a phased transition to a post-quantum framework from existing authentication systems without service interruption.
ATON has previously supplied PQC authentication solutions to the financial sector, including banks and securities firms, and plans to use this contract to expand the adoption of post-quantum authentication within the securities industry and broaden its business across all financial sectors.
Woo Gil-su, CEO of ATON, said, "Since a certificate is used for years once issued, the transition should begin based on the lifespan of certificates being issued now, not when quantum computers are commercialized," adding, "We will lead the way in expanding the post-quantum authentication transition—already underway in virtual assets, banks, and securities—across all financial sectors, and in shifting the standard for Korea's financial authentication to a post-quantum framework."