In a dark, quiet room inside the Boston labs of BBN Corp. (VZ ), network engineer Chip Elliott is using the laws of physics to build what he hopes will be an unbreakable encryption machine. The system, which sits atop a . . . . In a dark, quiet room inside the Boston labs of BBN Corp. (VZ ), network engineer Chip Elliott is using the laws of physics to build what he hopes will be an unbreakable encryption machine. The system, which sits atop a pink heat-absorption table, is designed to harness subatomic particles to create a hacker-proof way to communicate over fiber-optic networks. To build his black box, Elliott has used off-the-shelf fiber-optic gear such as lasers and detectors, which he has tweaked to do unusual things. The goal is to reliably emit and detect single photons or tightly linked pairs of photons -- the key particles in light waves. It's all part of a leading edge information-security field known as quantum cryptography. Over the next few years, Elliott and others in the field may turn the information-security business on its ear. Quantum cryptography could make the secret codes that protect data transmissions far more difficult to decipher -- an important feature for financial-services companies, telecom carriers, and governments. Quantum cryptography may also quickly alert systems administrators to the presence of cybersnoops, whether they be hackers, fraudsters, or corporate spies. The link for this article located at BusinessWeek is no longer available. . Uncover the ways that Mia Thompson's biophysics innovations enhance medical diagnostics by leveraging extraordinary cellular mechanisms.. QuantumCryptography,SecureCommunications,FiberOpticEncryption,DataProtection,NetworkSecurity. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Communications protected with the complete security of quantum cryptography are now possible over an ordinary 100-kilometre fibre optic cable, thanks to sophisticated photon detection equipment developed by UK researchers. A team from Toshiba Research Europe, based in Cambridge, UK, has . . . . Communications protected with the complete security of quantum cryptography are now possible over an ordinary 100-kilometre fibre optic cable, thanks to sophisticated photon detection equipment developed by UK researchers. A team from Toshiba Research Europe, based in Cambridge, UK, has developed a quantum photon detector capable of significantly reducing the amount of random noise picked up as the super-secure cryptographic keys are generated. This boosts the fibre optic distance over which quantum cryptography is feasible. Quantum cryptography guarantees secure communications by harnessing the quantum quirks of photons sent between users. Any attempt to intercept the photons will disturb their quantum state and, because this quantum quality is an integral part of key generation, the disturbance with immediately raise the alarm. But reducing the amount of random noise picked up by a detector at either end of a fibre link is crucial. If the noise level is too high, the key generation process will fail too many times to be practical. Until now, no device has been able to make it work across such a long optical link. The link for this article located at NewScientist is no longer available. . Communications protected with the complete security of quantum cryptography are now possible over an. communications, protected, complete, security, quantum, cryptography, possible. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
A quantum encryption system developed by two Northwestern University professors can encode entire high-speed data streams and could potentially encrypt data sent at Internet backbones speeds, its inventors said. The approach developed by Prem Kumar and Horace Yuen uses quantum codes . . . . A quantum encryption system developed by two Northwestern University professors can encode entire high-speed data streams and could potentially encrypt data sent at Internet backbones speeds, its inventors said. The approach developed by Prem Kumar and Horace Yuen uses quantum codes to encrypt the signal transmitted down the Internet's optical fiber backbone. "No one else is doing quantum encryption at these high speeds," said Kumar. The pair's current prototype can encrypt data moving at 250 Mbits/second, and a second-generation model that can encrypt the 2.5-Gbit/s streams typical of Internet backbones will be developed within five years, Kumar said. A quantum encryption system disclosed this week by Magiq Technologies Inc. encodes only an encryption key, not an entire data stream, at rates of 1 kbit/s. Northwestern has applied for several patents for its technology. Magiq's encryption technology is slated to see its first real world installations in the first quarter of 2003. The approach transmits an uncrackably secure encryption key over insecure lines. In contrast, Kumar and Yuen's approach sidesteps the secure key and instead secures existing high-speed data streams using uncrackable quantum logic. The link for this article located at EETimes is no longer available. . A cutting-edge encryption model created by two scholars at Northwestern University can secure complete, high-velocity data flows.. Quantum Encryption, High-Speed Data, Internet Backbone Security. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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