Quantum secured™ Networks
Quantum (information) technology is all about processing information below the size of the atom, where certain quantum effects provide new technology opportunities. In communication systems, a quantum effect known as ‘entanglement’ offers cryptographers a new weapon in their armoury to build Quantum Secured™ systems.
‘Entanglement’
When two photons (units of light) are ‘entangled’ they exhibit some very special behaviour that can be used to revolutionise the security of communications. The sender of a message transmits one of the pair of photons and keeps the other. Any third party attempting to intercept the transmission interferes with the transmitted photon, which immediately registers with the one retained by the sender.
Detection
This means, for the first time it is now possible to detect when any attempt is being made to interfere with a message that is being transmitted and the message sender can say for certain that a message has been transmitted to a counter party and that it has not been interfered with.
Keeping Secrets
Historically, all sorts of codes, keys, mathematical formulae and algorithms have been used to ‘encrypt’ messages. In every case all or part of these keys have had to be held by both parties. They have to be managed, updated, secured and are always open to human error and potential human weakness.
New capability
Quantum Secured™ communications provides a system that removes 100% of the cost and management of these keys, because the whole of the encryption process is carried out entirely by the quantum equipment. When information is to be transmitted the quantum hardware generates keys with the intended receiver, encrypts, transmits and decrypts the message, and destroys that key.
Currently this technology has shown to work reliably over optical fibre installed in metropolitan areas. Similarly laser beams can transmitted and received between two locations in sight of each other. In due course this will include transmissions to, between and from satellites.