Network security systems that rely on the laws of quantum mechanics to create hack-proof networks are arriving in the form of practical products that are easily integrated into optical networks. At the Infosecurity Europe 2005 trade show in London, id Quantique SA (Geneva) announced a turnkey quantum encryption system enabling hack-proof secure bridges between two Fast Ethernet (IEEE 802.3u) networks up to 100 kilometers apart. The move followed a March announcement by MagiQ Technologies Inc. (New York), which rolled a rework of its Quantum Private Network (QPN) 5505 system. The QPN 7505 incorporates Cavium Networks' Nitrox data encryption processors. . The id Quantique product is "the first quantum cryptography system designed for network engineers and not for physicists," said CEO Gregoire Ribordy. In quantum crypto, different quantum states (such as polarization) of individual photons are used to represent ones and zeroes with a specified probability distribution. A hacker who tapped into an encrypted photon would alter that distribution, alerting the receiver that an observation of the key had taken place. Quantum-key distribution (QKD) offers a level of security that would not be possible for AES unless a new AES key, of the same length as the data to be transmitted, were made for each transmission. The link for this article located at EE Times is no longer available. . Delve into the premier quantum encryption framework tailored for engineers, ensuring invulnerable and unbreakable communication channels.. Quantum Encryption, Quantum Cryptography, Network Security Systems, Hack-Proof Networks, Optical Network Integration. . Brittany Day
Boffins have moved one step closer to a practical implementation of the Holy Grail of encryption - quantum cryptography - by exchanging keys across a 67km fibre optic network. Until recently, the idea of quantum key distribution has been tested only. . .. Boffins have moved one step closer to a practical implementation of the Holy Grail of encryption - quantum cryptography - by exchanging keys across a 67km fibre optic network. Until recently, the idea of quantum key distribution has been tested only in the physics laboratory. Now, a team from the University of Geneva and Swiss electronics company id Quantique have demonstrated what is described as the "first fully integrated quantum cryptography prototype machine" across a telecommunications network. This advance is limited to fibre optic networks but other scientists are beginning to consider how quantum keys can be shared over satellite or wireless networks. Richard Hughes and his colleagues at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico, and several other teams have been working on a new way to share a quantum key transmitted by photons, so that it can be exchanged over radio networks. Hughes has no illusions about the difficulty of this task. "One must face the much more challenging problem of transmitting the quantum key distribution (QKD) photons through the atmosphere and reliably selecting them out from the huge background of light that is present even at night," he said. The latest steps towards developing an uncrackable code are in latest edition of the New Journal of Physics, which is published by the Institute of Physics and the German Physical Society. The link for this article located at SecurityFocus is no longer available. . Advancements in functional quantum encryption highlighted through secure key distribution across a 67km fiber optic link.. Quantum Encryption, Key Distribution, Optical Technology, Secure Communication, Quantum Security. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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