Unravelling quantum cryptography

The future of safe Internet communications

Let’s start where computers are!

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Every day we send messages, share pictures or make bank transactions from our devices. Cryptography systems protect our private information, but they may become insufficient very soon. And quantum computers have a lot to do with this.

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The vulnerability of current encoding systems

Traditional encryption systems are based on solving mathematical operations, but quantum computers could break those fast enough to pose a security risk.

Want to meet photons up close?

Discover the qualities that make this possible

Photon

Photons are the smallest unit of light. Their quantum properties enable secure storage, encryption and transmission of information.

Optical fiber

Photons: the microscopic messenger particles

The backbone of quantum computing

Superposition Photons can have different quantum states at the same time. This allows information to be sent in a combination of 0’s and 1’s (the qubits). This property provides a computational power beyond the current limits.

Photons have three main properties that make them ideal for storage, encrypting and transmitting information.

Entanglement The properties of a pair of photons cannot be described individually. When two or more particles are entangled, they share a common quantum state. No matter how far apart they are in space, their states remain linked, so observing one of the particles automatically provides information about the other. This is key to establishing quantum Internet networks.

Photons have three main properties that make them ideal for storage, encrypting and transmitting information

Keep going to see photons in action

The message travels at the speed of light

Photons are the smallest unit of light. Their quantum properties enable secure storage, code and transmission of information.

Uncertainty Measuring unknown quantum states automatically changes them. This prevents the creation of identical copies of a quantum key. This property enables quantum cryptography to protect valuable data.

Entanglement The properties of a pair of photons cannot be described individually. When two or more particles are entangled, they share a common quantum state. No matter how far apart they are in space, their states remain linked, so observing one of the particles automatically provides information about the other.

Uncertainty Measuring unknown quantum states automatically changes them. This prevents the creation of identical copies of a quantum key.

Quantum cryptography exploits quantum properties to generate an unbreakable key between two users through a process called Quantum Key Distribution (QKD).

Photons have three main properties that make them great at storing, coding and transmitting information.

Where physics meets encoding

Let’s see how this system works!

The message arrives to the bank

A real-life example of quantum encoding 1. Alice wants to shop online and for that she must send her bank information. So, she prepares quantum states that become the secure key that encrypts the message.

2. Bob receives and measures the quantum states, which match the ones Alice encoded. This creates the key for Bob to access the message.

But what if somebody wants to steal this key?

Bob receives an alert!

3. If Eve intercepts the message, she changes the quantum properties of the photons, due to the principle of uncertainty. This disturbs the key that Bob would have received.

Time to bring this safety system to everyone

4. Bob is notified that someone has tried to hack the key, and a new quantum key is sent again between Bob and Alice.

The future quantum network will need specific infrastructures to move from connecting two quantum computers, to connecting many of them between cities and even countries.

Get to know the network’s main components

Building the network of the future

3. If Eve intercepts the message, she changes the quantum properties of the photons, disturbing the key.

Quantum nodes These are the network endpoints that host the quantum computers which can receive, process, store and send the properties of photons.

Quantum memories They are devices that act as repeaters, storing the photons’ quantum states and amplifying them to the rest of the network.

Bringing safety where it is most needed

Healthcare

Bank transactions and online sales

Quantum cryptography will protect sensitive data from eavesdropping, which could result in the loss of critical information for different systems and infrastructures.

Finances

Shielding the most valuable information

Pharmaceutical innovations and patient care

The backbone of quantum computing

But what if somebody wants to steal this key?

Bob receives an alert!