[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7075\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EQuantum \u2013 a double-edged sword for cryptography\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDefence, finance, social networking \u2013\u0026nbsp;communications everywhere rely on cryptographic security. Cryptography involves jumbling up messages according to a code, or key, that has too many combinations for even very powerful computers to try out.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBut quantum computers have an advantage. Unlike regular computers, which process information in \u2018bits\u2019 of definite ones and zeros, quantum computers process information in \u2018qubits\u2019, the states of which remain uncertain until the final calculation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe result is that a quantum computer can effectively try out many different keys in parallel. Cryptography that would be impenetrable to regular computers could take a quantum computer\u0026nbsp;mere seconds\u0026nbsp;to crack.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPractical quantum computers that can be used to break encryption are expected to be years, if not decades, away. But that should not be of any reassurance: even if a hacker cannot decipher confidential information now, they could save it and simply wait until a quantum computer is available.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The problem already exists,\u2019 said Professor Valerio Pruneri of the Institute of Photonic Sciences in Barcelona, Spain, and the coordinator of a quantum security project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/218554\/factsheet\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ECiViQ\u003C\/a\u003E. \u2018A hacker can take what is stored now, and break its key at a later date.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe answer, says Prof. Pruneri, is another quantum technology. Known as quantum key distribution (QKD), it is a set of rules for encrypting information \u2013 known as a cryptography protocol \u2013 that is almost impossible to crack, even by quantum computers.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEavesdrop\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EQKD involves two parties sharing a random quantum key, according to which some separate information is encoded. Because in quantum theory it is impossible to observe something without corrupting it, the two parties will know whether someone else has eavesdropped on the key \u2013 and therefore whether it is safe, or not, to share their coded information.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EUntil now, QKD has usually involved specialist technology, such as single-photon detectors and emitters, which are difficult for people outside labs to implement. In the CiViQ project, however, Prof. Pruneri and his team are developing a variant of QKD that works with conventional telecommunications technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThey have already created prototypes, and performed some field demonstrations. Now, the researchers are working with industry telecoms clients including Telef\u00f3nica in Spain, Orange in France and Deutsche Telekom in Germany to create systems that work to their respective requirements, with the hope that the first systems could be online within three years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProf. Pruneri\u2019s hope is to create highly secure communication systems up to 100 km in size suitable for governmental, finance, medical and other high-risk sectors within cities. It could even be used by\u0026nbsp;everyday consumers, although Prof. Pruneri says that QKD currently reaches shorter distances and lower speed than regular\u0026nbsp;communication.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ERandom\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELike normal cryptography, QKD needs random keys \u2013 strings of numbers \u2013 to be generated in the first place. The more random these keys are, the greater the security of the system, as there is less chance of the keys being guessed. But the problem is that the numbers generated with traditional methods often aren\u2019t totally random.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHere, quantum mechanics can again come to the rescue. The behaviour of atoms, photons and electrons is believed to be truly random and this can be used as a way of generating numbers that cannot be predicted.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Hugo Zbinden of the University of Geneva in Switzerland said: \u2018Quantum random-number generators profit from the intrinsic randomness of quantum physics, whereas classical true random number generators are based on chaotic systems, which are deterministic and, in theory, to some extent predictable.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u200b\u0026#039;Quantum computers threaten classical cryptography.\u0026#039;\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EHugo Zbinden, University of Geneva, Switzerland\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EQuantum random-number generators already exist, but to\u200b make them more widely applicable Prof. Zbinden and his colleagues working on a project called \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/rcn\/218463\/factsheet\/en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EQRANGE\u003C\/a\u003E are improving their speed and reliability, as well as reducing their cost. Currently, they are trying to develop prototypes with a \u2018high technology readiness level\u2019 \u2013 in other words, prototypes that demonstrate that the technology is ripe for use in the real world.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe work is an important step in ensuring that, while being a threat to the security of our current communications, quantum approaches also provide a path to more secure systems.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u200b\u2018Quantum computers threaten classical cryptography,\u2019 says Prof. Zbinden. \u2018Quantum cryptography can be a solution, (but) it needs high-quality random numbers.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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