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Quantum Cryptography In Action

Posted by timothy on from the you-can't-see-me dept.

Whitney Wyatt writes: "Discover magazine outlines the first successful laser photon communication utilizing Quantum Cryptography. Called 'Perfect Encryption,' quantum encryption sends the key with the message, however it is impossible for an eavesdropper to intercept the message without changing it. One can only wonder what the FBI will do."

4 of 228 comments (clear)

  1. What will they do? by leshert · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They'll simply declare that, like plutonium and surface-to-air-missiles, it's something that they can't abide the public owning, and will outlaw it. What else could they do?

    1. Re:What will they do? by 56ker · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Why then were high-level cryptographic programs prohibited from export from the U.S and still are to certain countries they don't like? It was banned from export because it was classed as a weapon. The USA don't want to go to war with someone they can't eavesdrop on the communications of - that's what this is to prevent. Although it's not a weapon in the conventional sense - it's a defence. Look how effective the Enigma machine was for the Germans until it was broken. If the operators hadn't used easily guessible strings like HIT LER and BER LIN to encode the messages it would've taken far longer to crack it (they were told to randomise them).

      --


      Video Game cheats, hints a
  2. Re:Interception vs. Encryption by cheese_wallet · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm guessing you didn't read the article. They've been able to do this over a distance of 6 miles in open air. Not bad, considering this is an infancy stage.

    Yeah, it means the message can only be read once. But in this case the message is the key for a one time pad encryption.

    Basically this makes one time pad encryption a whole lot more secure than it was before. One time pads, I think, are the best form of encryption--but the problem has been the security of the key.

    this whole photon quantum encryption deal addresses that issue in a really neat way.

  3. key, not message by Skavookie · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Quantum crypto allows Allice to send a one time pad to Bob and determine if it was intercepted or not. If it is intercepted then Allice discards the pad and tries again. Otherwise Allice uses the pad to encrypt the message and uses conventional means to transmit it. If someone intercepts the pad, then the message is never sent so there's nothing to cryptanalyze. Otherwise they have a message but no pad. Cryptanalysis of a message encrypted with a one time pad is mathematically impossible.

    The distance issue is the main problem with this technology but progress is being made on that front and I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before it is solved.