TheArchitect.co.uk - Jorgen Thelin's weblog
Enterprise technology for the real world.
Perfect secrecy has come a step closer with the launch of the world's first computer network protected by unbreakable quantum encryption at a recent scientific conference in Vienna.
Quantum cryptography is completely different from the kinds of security schemes used on computer networks today.
Quantum systems use the laws of quantum theory, which have been shown to be inherently unbreakable.
The basic idea of quantum cryptography was worked out 25 years ago by Charles Bennett of IBM and Gilles Brassard of Montreal University, who was in Vienna to see the network in action.
"All quantum security schemes are based on the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, on the fact that you cannot measure quantum information without disturbing it.", he explained.
"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."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7661311.stm
All content is
Copyright (c) 2010 Jorgen Thelin. All rights reserved.
The opinions expressed here represent my own views
and not necessarily those of my current, prior or future employer(s).
Content is provided "as-is", without any representations or warrenties of any kind.
Contents of the Weblog Feed are
licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
