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Quantum decoys foil code-breaking attempts
July 19, 2005
Computer security will benefit Computer code-makers may soon get the upper hand on code-breakers thanks to a new quantum cryptography method designed at the University of Toronto. Quantum cryptography uses particles of light to share secret encryption keys relayed through fibre-optic communications.
A paper published in the June 16 issue of the Physical Review Letter demonstrates how senders can vary the intensity of laser light particles (photons) used in fibre-optic communications to create decoys that catch eavesdropping attempts. "To exchange secret communication, the sender and the recipient first have to exchange a random series of 0s and 1s - known as the encryption key - through a sequence of photons," says the study's lead author Professor Hoi-Kwong Lo of U of T's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Department of Physics. The security of the message relies on the security of the encryption key. "If an eavesdropper tries to intercept the transmission of the encryption key, he will give himself away by disturbing the photons. However, real-life light sources occasionally send out more than one photon and an eavesdropper can steal the additional pulse without the sender knowing."
To address this problem, Lo's technique manipulates the laser to create different signals of various intensities that act as decoys to distract the eavesdropper from the secret message. "Any attack will necessarily affect the decoy states and therefore be caught by the legitimate users, who will then use an encryption key only when it is guaranteed to be secure," says Lo, who adds that the work has immediate commercial applications.
University of Toronto
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Light touch: Controlling the behavior of quantum dots Researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), a collaborative center of the University of Maryland and NIST, have reported a new way to fine-tune the light coming from quantum dots by manipulating them with pairs of lasers. More Quantum Cryptography Current Events and Quantum Cryptography News Articles
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The Physics of Quantum Information: Quantum Cryptography, Quantum Teleportation, Quantum Computation
by Dirk Bouwmeester (Editor), Artur K. Ekert (Editor), Anton Zeilinger (Editor)
"The editors however have done an excellent job of stitching together a rewarding tapestry of the field as it stands today...The Physics of Quantum Information is essential reading for anyone new to the field, particularly if they enter from the direction of quantum optics and atomic physics." -The Physicist "Unreservedly recommended, and deserving of a place in any Physics library." -Andrew Davies, Department of Defence, Canberra, Australia Leading experts from "The Physics of Quantum Information" network, an initiative of the European Commission, bring together the most recent results of the emerging area of quantum technology. Written in a consistent style as a research monograph, the book introduces into quantum cryptography, quantum teleportation, and quantum...
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Quantum Cryptography and Secret-Key Distillation
by Gilles Van Assche (Author)
Quantum cryptography (or quantum key distribution) is a state-of-the-art technique that exploits properties of quantum mechanics to guarantee the secure exchange of secret keys. This self-contained text introduces the principles and techniques of quantum cryptography, setting it in the wider context of cryptography and security, with specific focus on secret-key distillation. The book starts with an overview chapter, progressing to classical cryptography, information theory (classical and quantum), and applications of quantum cryptography. The discussion moves to secret-key distillation, privacy amplification and reconciliation techniques, concluding with the security principles of quantum cryptography. The author explains the physical implementation and security of these systems,...
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The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography
by Simon Singh (Author)
In his first book since the bestselling Fermat's Enigma, Simon Singh offers the first sweeping history of encryption, tracing its evolution and revealing the dramatic effects codes have had on wars, nations, and individual lives. From Mary, Queen of Scots, trapped by her own code, to the Navajo Code Talkers who helped the Allies win World War II, to the incredible (and incredibly simple) logisitical breakthrough that made Internet commerce secure, The Code Book tells the story of the most powerful intellectual weapon ever known: secrecy.
Throughout the text are clear technological and mathematical explanations, and portrayals of the remarkable personalities who wrote and broke the world's most difficult codes. Accessible, compelling, and remarkably far-reaching, this book will...
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Post-Quantum Cryptography
by Daniel J. Bernstein (Editor), Johannes Buchmann (Editor), Erik Dahmen (Editor)
Quantum computers will break today's most popular public-key cryptographic systems, including RSA, DSA, and ECDSA. This book introduces the reader to the next generation of cryptographic algorithms, the systems that resist quantum-computer attacks: in particular, post-quantum public-key encryption systems and post-quantum public-key signature systems. Leading experts have joined forces for the first time to explain the state of the art in quantum computing, hash-based cryptography, code-based cryptography, lattice-based cryptography, and multivariate cryptography. Mathematical foundations and implementation issues are included. This book is an essential resource for students and researchers who want to contribute to the field of post-quantum cryptography.
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Quantum Communications and Cryptography
by Alexander V. Sergienko (Editor)
All current methods of secure communication such as public-key cryptography can eventually be broken by faster computing. At the interface of physics and computer science lies a powerful solution for secure communications: quantum cryptography. Because eavesdropping changes the physical nature of the information, users in a quantum exchange can easily detect eavesdroppers. This allows for totally secure random key distribution, a central requirement for use of the one-time pad. Since the one-time pad is theoretically proven to be undecipherable, quantum cryptography is the key to perfect secrecy. Quantum Communications and Cryptography is the first comprehensive review of the past, present, and potential developments in this dynamic field. Leading expert contributors from around the...
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Quantum Bits and Quantum Secrets: How Quantum Physics is revolutionizing Codes and Computers
by Oliver Morsch (Author)
A concise, "no-frills" introduction to quantum computation and quantum cryptography for non-experts. Rather than concentrating on stories about scientists and philosophical concepts, Quantum Bits and Quantum Secrets: How Quantum Physics is revolutionizing Codes and Computers provides a step-by-step approach to quantum information. Starting from the idea of quantum cryptography, it presents the basic principles of quantum mechanics and explains how this can be used to make cryptography absolutely secure against eavesdropping. Subsequently, the most important quantum algorithms are explained and technical problems in realizing quantum computers are discussed, followed by a presentation of recent experiments—some of which are found here in a textbook for the first time. ...
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Hardware-based Computer Security Techniques to Defeat Hackers: From Biometrics to Quantum Cryptography
by Roger R. Dube (Author)
Presents primary hardware-based computer security approaches in an easy-to-read toolbox format Protecting valuable personal information against theft is a mission-critical component of today's electronic business community. In an effort to combat this serious and growing problem, the Intelligence and Defense communities have successfully employed the use of hardware-based security devices. This book provides a road map of the hardware-based security devices that can defeat—and prevent—attacks by hackers. Beginning with an overview of the basic elements of computer security, the book covers: Cryptography Key generation and distribution The qualities of security solutions Secure co-processors ...
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Protecting Information: From Classical Error Correction to Quantum Cryptography
by Susan Loepp (Author), William Wootters (Author)
In the transmission of information storage, preventing noise and/or eavesdropping is essential. This undergraduate introduction to quantum computing focuses on error correction and cryptography, providing a context in which ideas about mathematics, computer science and physics meet together. By covering such topics as the Shor quantum factoring algorithms, this text informs the reader about current thinking in quantum information theory, as well as encouraging an appreciation of the connections between mathematics and science. Unique to this text is its consideration of possible quantum physics impacts: (i) a quantum computer, if built, could crack the public-key cryptosystems; and (ii) quantum cryptography promises to provide an alternative to public-key cryptosystems, basing its...
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The Code Book: Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography [CODE BK]
by Simon(Author) Singh (Author)
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Photon Counting Applications, Quantum Optics, and Quantum Cryptography (Proceedings of Spie)
by Ivan Prochazka (Editor), Alan L. Migdall (Editor), Alexandre Pauchard (Editor), Miloslav Dusek (Editor), Mark S. Hillery (Editor)
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