The QS7001 system combines two quantum-resistant encryption protocols to reduce the time available to attackers. (Image credit: Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images)
Engineers have demonstrated a new communications system designed to protect telecommunications from attacks using quantum computing.
The system, known as the “QS7001,” was unveiled on January 22 by representatives of Swiss company SEALSQ at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
To ensure the security of data transmitted over the Internet – from financial information to personal medical records – the content of messages is encrypted.
Encryption transforms information using mathematical problems so complex that they cannot be solved without a “key” that only authorized parties (the sender and receiver) have access to. While encryption itself does not prevent messages from being intercepted, it does make their contents impossible to read.
SEALSQ PQC Demo – YouTube
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However, scientists warn that the enormous computing power of future quantum computers could allow them to solve complex equations in seconds that would take classical computers millions of years, giving them the potential to break traditional encryption technologies such as RSA.
The outdated 50-bit RSA integer (NIST recommends a minimum of 2048 bits) has already been broken using quantum computers. Global communications could be at risk if the security of Internet messaging is compromised.
The QS7001 system combines two quantum-resistant encryption protocols developed by NIST (Dilithium and Kyber) with reduced data transfer time, thereby reducing the window of opportunity for attacks.
“It's an ongoing arms race between technologies that protect our security and technologies that can undermine it,” cybersecurity analyst Dave Lear told Live Science.
Narrowing the window of opportunity
Quantum-resistant protocols are new encryption methods that have been shown to be resistant to quantum computing attacks, in the sense that quantum computers are unable to solve the cryptographic key and gain access to the information. However, quantum computers are becoming increasingly powerful and may in the future even break encryption that is currently considered resistant to quantum attacks.
“The manufacturers claim that it is resistant to quantum attacks, but until it is adequately tested in real-world conditions and attacked by determined adversaries, we cannot confirm this with certainty,” Lear said.
In the demonstration, a traditional secure microcontroller took up to 1500 milliseconds (one and a half seconds) to transfer data samples protected by Dilithium encryption protocols. Using SEALSQ's QS7001 method to transfer the same data, the time was reduced to about 100 ms (one-tenth of a second).
This reduction in transmission time was achieved by effectively authenticating, signing, and encrypting data while maintaining the same strict security standards. This technique reduced the time it would take for a quantum computer to intercept and break message encryption.
It should be noted that this method does not prevent the intercepted information from being copied and stored – in this case, the quantum computer would not be limited by the reduced transmission time. However, the QS7001 reduces the window of opportunity for interception and prevents the intercepted messages from being changed or misinterpreted.
Quantum communication technologies are also being developed that could be used to detect the interception of messages and reverse their transmission. If the QS7001 is combined with quantum communication, it could become a powerful tool for protecting our information in the post-quantum internet.
“If decryption takes longer than that key is valid, your message will be protected,” says Lear. “Until a faster tool is developed, of course.”
Sourse: www.livescience.com
