Quantum Cryptography-New Kid on the Security Block
Rahul Srinivas, Oct 10, 2008 1750 hrs IST
New solution for the ultra paranoid
This might just be the perfect solution for the ultra paranoid, security conscious soul who is in urgent need of something impenetrable to keep his data safe from eavesdroppers.
Quantum Cryptography, a new kind of encryption technology was demonstrated at a scientific conference in Vienna recently. What's the big deal - you may ask? The big deal is that this one approaches the security problem in a different way from what we have been used to. In fact, this happens to be completely different from the security schemes and protocols used by present-day computer networks.
Most encryption technologies of today use the mathematical model - which in spite of being tough to crack are not impossible to breach, thanks to the time and computing resources we have today. Enter Quantum Cryptography. As the name suggests, this is based on the laws of the quantum theory, which is known to be inherently impenetrable. The first seeds of this kind of a security mechanism were first purported by Charles Bennett of IBM and Gilles Brassard of Montreal University 25 years ago. Gilles happened to be present at the Vienna conference to witness his "baby" in action for the first time.
Explaining the technology to those present at the event, Gilles Brassard said, "All quantum security schemes are based on the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle , on the fact that you cannot measure quantum information without disturbing it. Because of that, one can have a communications channel between two users on which it's impossible to eavesdrop without creating a disturbance. An eavesdropper would create a mark on it. That was the key idea."
If that went over your head, here's what he meant and how it actually happens.
The technology uses photons, the basic "component" of light to achieve its purported impenetrability. Very small (photon sized) ray of light is beamed across the nodes of the network, millions of times per second. Each "node" houses small electronic racks with light sensitive sensors that "receive" the photons and go on to encrypt the data received with a random numerical key - this is similar to our present day encryption methods - but here is the catch. No one else can know the key without revealing themselves. In the demonstration, when an "intruder" did try to access the network to "listen" to the quantum exchange, the photons became scrambled and the sensors at the nodes sensing the increased error rate shut down the system to prevent the data from being compromised. The data was then routed to another route where things were "normal". Apart from the security concerns, the demo also showed the increased robustness of the network.
That said, would this really turn out to be "impenetrable"? As one comment on a popular blog said, "All encrypted messages can be accessed by answering a personal security question." Sounded funny but that happens to be the truth - at least for the majority of us! As for the breaching this, since the scientists have issued an open challenge to all the hackers (albeit discreetly!), I am sure many bright minds will be working overtime to get this one undone!
Via: BBC
USER COMMENTS
It is not a new technology, it has been there from quite some time. But only now it has been out in the public domain.
by nyash, Bangalore, on Oct 15, 2008 01:19 PM, Report abuse Reply
by sarvesh kumar, hyderabad, on Oct 12, 2008 07:32 PM, Report abuse Reply
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by VICKY, shahjahanpur, on Nov 19, 2008 09:27 PM, Report abuse Reply