Enterprise "Quantum Communications" creates encryption key distribution systems. Their main feature is the impossibility of "wiretapping".
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Why quantum networks are involved
Data is considered secure if the decryption time significantly exceeds the βexpiration dateβ. Today, this condition is becoming more difficult to fulfill - the development of supercomputers is to blame. A few years ago, a cluster of 80 computers based on Pentium 4 "mastered" () 1024-bit RSA encryption in just 104 hours.
On a supercomputer, this time will be significantly less, but one of the solutions to the problem may be the βabsolutely strong cipherβ, the concept of which was proposed by Shannon. In such systems, keys are generated for each message, which increases the risk of their interception.
Here, communication lines of a new type will come to the rescue - quantum networks that transmit data (cryptographic keys) using single photons. When trying to intercept the signal, these photons are destroyed, which serves as a sign of intrusion into the channel. Such a data transmission system is being created by a small innovative enterprise of ITMO University β Quantum Communications. At the helm are Artur Gleim, head of the Quantum Informatics Laboratory, and Sergey Kozlov, director of the International Institute of Photonics and Optoinformatics.
How technology works
It is based on the method of quantum communication at side frequencies. Its peculiarity is that single photons are not directly emitted by the source. They are carried out to side frequencies as a result of phase modulation of classical pulses. The interval between the carrier frequency and sub frequencies is approximately 10β20 pm. This approach allows broadcasting a quantum signal over 200 meters at a speed of 400 Mbps.
It works as follows: a special laser generates a pulse with a wavelength of 1550 nm and sends it to an electro-optical phase modulator. After modulation, two side frequencies appear that differ from the carrier by the amount of the modulating radio signal.
Further, with the help of phase shifts, the signal is bit-encoded and transmitted to the receiving side. When it reaches the receiver, the spectral filter extracts the sideband signal (using a photon detector), re-phase modulates and decodes the data.
The exchange of information necessary to establish a secure connection is carried out over an open channel. The "raw" key is generated simultaneously in the transmitting and receiving modules. An error rate is calculated for it, which shows whether there was an attempt to eavesdrop on the network. If everything is in order, then the errors are corrected, and a secret cryptographic key is generated in the transmitting and receiving modules.
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What remains to be done
Despite the theoretical βunhackabilityβ of quantum networks, they are not yet absolute cryptographic protection. Equipment has a strong impact on safety. A few years ago, a group of engineers at the University of Waterloo discovered a vulnerability that could intercept data in a quantum network. It was associated with the possibility of "blinding" the photodetector. If a bright light is directed at the detector, it saturates and ceases to register photons. Then, by changing the intensity of the light, you can control the sensor and fool the system.
To solve this problem, it will be necessary to change the principles of the receivers. There is already a scheme for secure equipment that is insensitive to attacks on detectors - these detectors simply do not exist in it. But such solutions increase the cost of introducing quantum systems and have not yet gone beyond the laboratories.
βOur team is also working in this direction. We cooperate with Canadian specialists and other foreign and Russian groups. If it is possible to close vulnerabilities at the iron level, then quantum networks will become widespread and become a testing ground for developing new technologies,β says Arthur Gleim.
Prospects
More and more domestic companies are showing interest in quantum solutions. Only LLC "Quantum Communications" supplies customers with five data transmission systems annually. One set of equipment, depending on the range (from 10 to 200 km), costs 10-12 million rubles. The price is comparable to foreign analogues with more modest operating parameters.
This year, Quantum Communications received an investment of one hundred million rubles. This money will help the company bring the product to the international market. Some of them will go to the development of third-party projects. In particular, the creation of quantum control systems for distributed data centers. The team relies on modular systems that can be integrated into existing IT infrastructure.
Quantum data transmission systems will become the basis of a new type of infrastructure in the future. SDN networks will appear that use quantum key distribution systems paired with traditional encryption to protect data.
Mathematical cryptography will continue to be used to protect information with a limited confidentiality period, and quantum methods will find their niche in areas where more robust data protection is required.
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Source: habr.com