What could be cooler than a security technology that uses single photons, particle beam splitters, quantum particles, fiber optics, and physical objects to derive unhackable encryption keys? Ahhhh, nothing… The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with funding from DARPA, has successfully tested a multi-node, 1.25Gbps active network that uses Quantum Encryption. Quantum Encryption, formally known as Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), is considered the first truly unbreakable and tap proof encryption technology on the planet. Sure AES 256 in practice is unbreakable today, but it remains mathematically crackable and it certainly can be tapped. Quantum Key Distribution on the other hand, does not rely on mathematics at all, instead it relies on the fundamental laws of physics to make it absolutely impossible to break or tap into! Quantum cryptography is really a misnomer; it has nothing to do with encrypting anything and everything to do with exchanging crypto keys in a secure manner. That is why most scientists in this area prefer it to be called quantum key distribution. QKD is symmetrical in nature, meaning both parties share a common key, commonly referred to as a shared secret, for both encryption and decryption. Just like today’s pre-shared key implementations. QKD is protected from intrusion because as soon as you try and observe the quantum particles the particles will change state due to the rules of quantum physics. Now the end system knows you were there. Oops Check out Google’s Tech Talk on QKD to get a very well done deep dive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKkqUR7FY0o Here is article from NIST describing their 1.25Gbps breakthrough: http://w3.antd.nist.gov/qin/recordKey.shtml Have you heard of QKD before? It has been around since the early 1990’s but it is really only recently that it has started to enter the realm of practicality. Sure it is still a ways off but it is getting closer. Imagine being able to send encrypted data that you knew without a doubt was utterly and completely secure. Game changer? Absolutely!
The opinions and information presented here are my personal views and not those of my employer.
More from Jamey Heary: Credit Card Skimming: How thieves can steal your card info without you knowing it Cisco enters the crowded AV and DLP client marketCisco's new ASA code allows you to securely take your Cisco IP Phone with you anywhereCisco targets Symantec, McAfee with its new antivirus client Google's Chrome raises security concerns and tastes like chicken feet a>Go to Jamey’s Blog for more articles on security.*
*
*
*
*