Secure cryptography with real-world devices is now a realistic possibility

New research published in Nature describes how an international team of researchers have, for the first time, experimentally applied a type of quantum cryptography considered to be the ‘most’, ‘bug proof’ means of communication.

In an experiment that builds on three decades of fundamental research, experimental work at the Department of Physics, University of Oxford – with theoretical contributions from ETH Zurich, EPFL, University of Geneva in Switzerland, and the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA). ) – demonstrates a complete quantum key distribution protocol that is immune to the physical device vulnerabilities and defects that interfere with current quantum protocols. This experiment proved a much stronger form of security than can be achieved today using classic computers.

Existing ‘quantum key distribution’ (QKD) implementations rely on communication between ‘trusted’ quantum devices (and thus offer potential for quantum hacking). The newly demonstrated approach enables secure communication between devices without needing to know much about them. This important breakthrough paves the way for secure cryptography for real-world devices, and for further applications of quantum information based on the principle of device independence.

Professor David Lucas, Department of Physics, University of Oxford explains: ‘The real breakthrough here is that not only were we able to show that our quantum network theoretically performs well enough to perform this new type of QKD, but we were actually able to do it in real time. practice and get all the ways to distribute the shared secret key. Although originally designed for experiments in quantum computing, it demonstrates the versatility of quantum networks for other applications.’

The multi-disciplinary research team, consisting of theoretical and applied physicists as well as computer scientists, achieved a successful experiment based on ‘high-quality quantum entanglement’ or, in layman’s terms, the exclusive relationship between two particles that can span great distances (even light – years) in space, but still operate together. These connections offer greater security and privacy guarantees for communications and financial transactions without third party interference.

Today, secure cryptographic communication relies on the inability of traditional computers to compute prime factors of large numbers. However, as technology advances, future quantum computers will be able to easily solve this problem, rendering current cryptographic protocols obsolete.

Previous work on QKD has removed the assumption of limited computing power but required communicating parties to trust their quantum devices instead.

The quantum key distribution demonstrated in this new study, however, can guarantee privacy with only a few general assumptions about the physical equipment used. The basis for this ‘device-independent’ scheme relies on the validity of quantum theory and can be certified by statistical measurements observed during the experiment.

‘Ninety years ago, we thought it was impossible for nature to behave in such a strange way; sixty years ago, we found a way to show that this is so; thirty years ago, we figured out how to take advantage of this advantage of ours,’ explains lead author David Nadlinger, ‘and now, we can finally put this insight into the basic structure of reality to practical use in securing communications.’

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