Does Quantum Cryptography Ensure Cyber Security?
Have you wondered if the payments, contacts, and data transfers that take place over the internet are safe? Is it possible to hack them? Yes, and to avoid this, we follow the concept of cryptography.
The system that has secured our web activity and interactions for years are on the verge of being wiped out. Businesses and organizations should be aware of this today and prepare for cryptography in the quantum era.
Before we go further let us understand Quantum Cryptography.
What is Quantum Cryptography?
Cryptography is the technique of encrypting data or altering plain text so that only those with the correct “key” can access it. By application, quantum cryptography encrypts data and sends it in an extremely secure manner using quantum mechanics techniques.
The basic principles of quantum mechanics behind quantum cryptography are:
1. The particles that form the universe are unpredictable, and they can exist in multiple states at the same time.
2. Photons are generated in one of the two quantum states at random.
3. It is impossible to measure a quantum feature without allowing it to change.
4. It is possible to clone some properties of the quantum particle, but not the entire particle.
How Does Quantum Encryption Work?
Quantum cryptography or quantum key distribution (QKD) uses a series of photon or light particles to transmit data over a fibre optic from one location to another. Quantum communication systems are expected to offer virtually unbreakable encryption. Let’s understand the process of this encryption model:
Step 1: The sender transmits photons through a polarizer or filter which randomly allots them bit designations and polarization. The four possible polarizations and bit designations are Horizontal (Zero bit), Vertical (One bit), 45 degrees left (Zero bit), or 45 degrees right (One bit).
Step 2: The receiver needs to use two beam splitters (horizontal/vertical and diagonal) to “read” the polarization of each photon.
Step 3: After sending the photons, the receiver needs to inform the sender of the beam splitter that was used for each photon of the stream. The sender compares the sequence before sending the key. If the photons are read with the wrong beam splitter, they are discarded and the resulting sequence of bits becomes the key.
If the photon is read or copied in by any eavesdropper, the photon’s state will change which will be detected by the endpoints.
Example of how quantum encryption works:
Say you have two individuals, Mark and Jacob, who want to send each other a hidden message that no one else can read. Over a fibre optic line, Mark sends Jacob a sequence of polarised photons. Because photons have a unique quantum state, this optic cable does not need to be secured.
If any unauthorized person, say, Eve tries to listen in on the discussion, she will have to read each photon to figure out what is being said. She must then send that photon to Bob. Eve changes the quantum state of the photon by viewing it, creating faults into the quantum key. This informs Mark and Jacob that somebody is monitoring them and the key has been leaked. Mark can then send a new key to Jacob so he can read the secret message.
What is the difference between quantum cryptography and post-quantum cryptography?
Cryptographic techniques that are expected to be safe against a quantum computer hack are known as post-quantum cryptography.
It is based on difficult mathematical equations. Traditional computer systems take months, if not years, to solve these complicated mathematical calculations.
Quantum computers executing Shor’s algorithm, on the other hand, will be able to crack logic systems in a matter of seconds.
Quantum cryptography, on the other hand, employs quantum mechanics to convey private messages and is fully secure, unlike mathematical encrypt.
Quantum key distribution makes use of these quantum mechanical features to generate and distribute a shared key while ensuring that no third parties have intruded.
The Era of Quantum Cryptographic Cyber Security
To enable safe data transmissions, encryption technologies use numbers that are nearly impossible to calculate. They secure the data with an algorithm. The receiving party then uses a key to decode the data and make it viewable. While it would take normal computer billions of years to break the key, a quantum computer takes just 8 hours to complete it!
THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT TECHNIQUES FOR ENCRYPTION
Symmetric Encryption– Private key cryptography is another name for it. Both the receiver and sender have access to the same key in this approach, and the receiver decodes the message sent by the sender using the same key. As a result, before the message is interpreted, the recipient must have a key.
Asymmetric Encryption- Public-key cryptography is another name for it. Two keys are used in this method: the public key and the private key. The public key is available to the public.
The most exciting feature of this new strategy is that while a public key can be used to encrypt text, it cannot be used to decrypt it. You must use the matching private key to decrypt it. The text will not be decrypted by any other user’s private or public keys. The data flow is extremely safe using this technology.
Hashing-It is the process of using a mathematical function to turn input of any length into a fixed-size text string. The method of storing and processing data using hash tables is known as hashing. A document can be verified using hashing.
SHOR’S ALGORITHM IN QUANTUM COMPUTING
Peter Shor created Shor’s algorithm for integer factorization. This algorithm is known as a quantum algorithm since it is based on quantum computing.
The procedure identifies the prime factors of a positive integer P. Shor’s algorithm runs in polynomial time, which is polynomial in log N order. On a traditional computer, it takes O((log N)3) seconds to complete.
The algorithm is important because it means that, with a sufficiently big quantum computer, public-key cryptography may be easily destroyed. The public key N in RSA, for example, is the product of two large prime numbers. Factoring N is one approach to defeat RSA encryption, however, factoring gets increasingly time-consuming as N goes larger; more particular, no classical algorithm exists that can factor in time O((log N)k) for any k. Shor’s algorithm, on the other hand, can break RSA in polynomial time. It also gets into a variety of different public-key cryptosystems.
Shor’s technique is predictable like all quantum algorithms; it provides the correct answer with a high probability.
But, finding a practical quantum crypto algorithms security solution may take some time. There are already two decent options, and studies have been continuing for quite some time. The first method is known as post-quantum cryptography, and it is based on different mathematical equations than those presently in use. The second method makes use of quantum physics to find new cryptographic answers.
Why don’t we utilise Quantum Cryptography all of the time?
So, if Quantum Cryptography is so safe, why don’t we just use it?
Quantum cryptography involves the use of specialised hardware. To make it work, you’ll need photon detectors, beamsplitters, and other components. As a result, we won’t be able to fit it into a small device like your phone.
Even though encryption is secure according to physics, it doesn’t mean threats can never happen. Even using strong traditional cryptographic techniques, hacking occurs. It’s not because a computer can decrypt the data.
Side-channel cyberattacks are a possibility. These occur as a result of a flaw in the cryptosystem’s design rather than a flaw in the algorithm itself. Although no one has effectively received photons during the creation of the key in quantum key distribution protocols, side-channel threats do occur in quantum cryptography.
Quantum Cryptography is challenging to use everywhere due to the hardware requirements. As a result, a post-quantum cryptography system will be required to gain a large number of devices.
Will Cyber Security be Ensured?
Even though data transferred over the internet is now assumed secure, it is still prone to hacking and attacking methods in which malicious people steal and copy encrypted messages to decipher them once the right quantum computers are available. For data with a long-term risk, companies may wish to add an extra level of security.
Quantum Cryptography, however, not only generates the threat but also offers a remedy. When sharing the encryption key through a method known as quantum key distribution, quantum-based technologies can be used to identify the presence of hackers on a link (QKD). When combined with the one-time-pad cypher, the protocol provides unbeatable encryption security.
It is mainly aimed at those who want to protect their secret links for extended periods and with the highest amount of safety, such as public organizations and military people.
QKD stands for Quantum Key Distribution. It’s a method of spreading and distributing the secret keys required by data encryption. In addition, the method must ensure that they remain secret between the sender and receiver. Information is often stored on single photons, and after both sides’ keys have been safely generated, their interactions are secure.
Conclusion
The necessity for Quantum Cryptography is right in front of our eyes. The safety of encrypted data is now in danger, with the advancement of quantum computers. Thankfully, Quantum Cryptography provides the solution we need to protect our data for the near future — all based on the rules of quantum physics.
Quantum Cryptography is the answer that will protect confidential matters as the need for encryption technology grows in networks that are connected.