Quantum Security

Quantum cryptography is the disruptive technology for implementing truly unbreakable data communication infrastructures, using Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. It is the first operational application of the very new technology domain now known as Quantum Information Processing (QIP). It represents the initial step to a revolutionary world using quantum systems. Quantum cryptography provides the user with a technology that has the capacity of ensuring absolute security in the process of sharing secret keys for encryption/decryption applications.

Let’s start with some important facts :

• Quantum Cryptography (QC) encrypts data thanks to secret keys shared with the technology of Quantum Key Distribution.
• Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is truly a key sharing technology due to physical light proprieties. It does not actually encrypt the data but it allows a key to be shared with absolute security which will then be used to encrypt the data.

The QKD key that is shared between the two SQDefenders is then being used as in classical cryptography to secure the message. In other words “quantum cryptography” should be read as “quantum” for the key sharing process, and “cryptography” for the encryption process. Actual encryption belongs to classical symmetric algorithms. For example, the SQDefender system is currently based on AES 192.

To fully understand the revolutionary aspects of QKD, we will start by describing the classical approaches to key distribution. It permits the analysis of its drawbacks and understands why QKD changes the picture. In symmetric cryptography (usually preferred to transfer sensitive data) both the sender and the receiver have to share the same secret keys to encrypt and decrypt back to intelligible information after having successfully (= without being eavesdropped) exchanged the ciphered information.

Without QC, the main encryption problem is that you can never be sure of not being eavesdropped, hence one faces two sources of data privacy cracks :

• Your secret ciphering keys are stolen (copied), or/and
• Your ciphered data is eavesdropped.

It is likely that the confidentiality breach type 1 and 2 happen without the parties’ knowledge and occur jointly, hence widely opening the senders’ and receivers’ secrecies to unwanted spy eyes.

The major feature of the QKD is therefore the fact that the use of such a technology prevents any risk of interception of the shared secret on the optical link, with a rate of protection that equals quasi 100% (“quasi” to leave some room for the doubt since nobody can pretend to bring total absolute security…). The quantum nature of the signal linking Alice and Bob basically brings this feature to the system. It relies on some physical proprieties of the Quantum Mechanics, which says that not just any photon can be duplicated with all its state. In other words, when Alice sends some photons to Bob, in order to build a shared secret, some photons captured by Eve can not be reintroduced into the system without being corrupted. More than that, they will not be used by the system to build the shared secret anyway making them useless for Alice, Bob and of course Eve.

Key refreshment is another major feature brought within QKD system. A QKD system has the capability to generate a shared secret. More than that, it has the capability to do it on a regular basis. The SmartQuantum system currently refreshes its keys every second. For the first time, the whole key management becomes totally autonomous within the system. Even the operator has no idea which key is being used at any given time. This adds a huge level of security to the system since the amount of information encrypted with a given key is limited.

Today’s vulnerability of optical networks is a real threat for your security

Fibre optic networks are the basis of all modern telecommunication infrastructures. The ever-increasing majority of voice, data and video traffic are transported around the world by optical fibres. They make up the backbone used by modern economies, which must rely on the availability, confidentiality and integrity of such critical networks.

Unfortunately, contrary to popular belief, fibre optic telecommunication systems are extremely vulnerable. Indeed, commercially available signal tapping devices can easily intercept very confidential information riding on optical networks without being detected.

This has major security implications for users of fibre optical communication systems, especially companies and organisations with sensitive data critical to their survival. As a matter of fact, most of today’s traditional security measures can not stop these serious attacks.

SmartQuantum proposes highly innovative solutions to protect network data transmission. The main solutions being the SQDefender, The SQKey Generator & the SQCryptor suite

The SQDefender proposes a unique and powerful combination of fully integrated QKD (Quantum Key Distribution) and digital cryptography to secure civil data transfer.)]

Let us show you.

Contact SmartQuantum for any further information or to discuss a live SQDefender demonstration.