Comments on: Quantum cryptography in-band attack

By: ragnar

ragnar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:47:04 +0000

It would be uncrackable if you could use only one photon at a time. At the moment you have to use a pack of photons, because (useable) detectors aren’t sensitive enough to just recogonise one photon. In addition, they use the quantum encryption just for key exchange, the actual data is encrypted with e.g. AES and the like, for speed reasons. That might be a problem in future, as it adds possible attacks (as does every additional step).

By: Niklas Ulvinge

Niklas Ulvinge — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:42:56 +0000

@ragnar

Will it be possible to make an implementation that is uncrackable?

Something tells me that Heisenberg’s law makes it impossible to do…

By: Eliot Phillips

Eliot Phillips — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 19:12:29 +0000

@phil @maneuver fixed. Thank you.

By: ragnar

ragnar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:25:55 +0000

Not the technology got hacked (Heisenberg is still ruling) but an obviously weak implementation of it. Cudos to the hacker!

By: Hacker Forums

Hacker Forums — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:07:09 +0000

I remember when the authors of PGP said their encryption couldn’t be hacked but someone found a way to do it. Granted it’s ubber hard, but it could be done.

And I agree, no one needs more than 256k of ram! :-)

By: maneuver

maneuver — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 08:54:18 +0000

It’s the university in TRONDHEIM, NORWAY. Not trodheim…
Just a typo I guess, but I’m mentioning it so you can fix it…

By: Phil

Phil — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 07:00:10 +0000

Just a slight correction to the article. It’s called The University of _Trondheim_.

By: Circs

Circs — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:49:23 +0000

Ingenious. I’m very impressed.

I’ll admit that like most people my experience with this tech is non-existent, however I think I see a few other ways to attack along this vector.

The idea of this tech becoming widespread freaks me out and makes me excited all at the same time. Think DRM on your internet connection.

By: MRE

MRE — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:47:01 +0000

funny thing.. Just the other day I was watching a program on Discovery channel about hackers and they mentioned quantum cryptography. the scientist/techie being interviewed about it made a grand statement about how it could not be hacked, since the by observing the photon, it would be altered.

hehehhe.. soooo funny how many times someone has made such a statement, only to have it proven wrong by the march of progress/hackers.

no one will ever need more than 256k of ram.

By: therian

therian — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 01:41:45 +0000

I lost my photon, I send it and it newer returned back :(