Recent Advances in Quantum Communications and New Safety Protocols for Sharing Data

“Quantum Mechanics can explain our world.”

“Quantum Computers can change our world.” (Figure 1)

“The Quantum Realm is a part of our world.” 

Quantum. The word translates to ‘the smallest unit of energy’, and the terms containing this word are endless. One trending and evolving concept is Quantum Key Distribution or QKD. 

Figure 1: The interior of a quantum computing system at IBM. Reprinted from Ref [5]. Credit: IBM [CC BY-ND 2.0].

QKD was initially brought to light in the 1980s, however, it was not until the late 1990s when physicists began to make progress with the idea. This transformative means of communication is a safe and protected way for 2 parties to share encrypted data, in the form of qubits, without the presence of adversaries [1]. Through cryptography, which is the art of solving codes, and quantum mechanics, 2 parties can produce a shared random secret key, which is then used to encrypt and decrypt messages. Quantum communication is a game changer as it ensures the secure transmission of data and other information. The aim is to create increasingly dependable communication technologies which help critical data infrastructures worldwide, such as the healthcare sector or electricity supply sector [2, 3].

Recently, researchers at Wits University in Johannesburg, South Africa, made history by creating a QKD with an 11-dimensional quantum state where their secret was shared amongst 10 parties [4]. More dimensions imply more information being shared, which translates directly to larger secrets. This record-setting quantum network successfully shared their secret amongst many nodes in this quantum network. Typically, in QKD, communication occurs between a sender and a receiver, commonly known as Alice and Bob, respectively. However, another form of communication is between a sender and many receiving parties. The Wits team used quantum photon states and quantum phenomena to create a protocol that would only allow a secret to be revealed if the parties trusted one another. The safety protocols of Quantum Secret Sharing means that a secret will never be revealed through communication. Instead, it is shared securely across many nodes.

Steve Morgan, founder and Editor-in-Chief at Cybersecurity Ventures, stated in his 2019 Annual Report of Cybercrime Magazine that cybercrime will cost the world $6 trillion annually by 2021 [1]. Currently, businesses have to spend millions of dollars if data breaching occurs. However, with the significantly more secure QKD, businesses can reduce their risk of an expensive data breach, thus saving money. This money could then be used to help eliminate problems around the world such as poverty, hunger, and climate issues, and ultimately help us to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

All in all, QKD is evolving fast, and with new records being set, communication will be safer than ever.

References

[1] Anon, (December, 2018). “Cybercrime Damages $6 Trillion by 2021,” Cybercrime Magazine, [Online]. Available: https://cybersecurityventures.com/hackerpocalypse-cybercrime-report-2016/

[2] A. K. Frederiksen, (September, 2019). “Danish Quantum Key Distribution Technology to Create Secure Communication Channels,” DTU, [Online]. Availble: https://www.dtu.dk/english/news/2019/09/danish-quantum-key-distribution-technology-to-create-secure-communication-channels?id=49091e7b-2d0e-4c47-9ccf-d456dba06a5c

[3] Anon. “Quantum Key Distribution”, Quantum Flagship, [Online]. Available: https://qt.eu/understand/underlying-principles/quantum-key-distribution-qkd/

[4] Wits University, (July, 2020). “Sharing a Secret... the Quantum Way.” Phys.org, [Online]. Available: phys.org/news/2020-07-secret-quantum.html

[5] IBM, (October 2019). “Interior of IBM Quantum Computing System”, Flickr, [Online]. Available: https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=quantum%20computing