Communications of the ACM
Vulnerability in Commercial Quanto Cryptography
Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), the University of Erlangen-Nurnberg, and the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light have developed a way to remotely control the photon detectors in quantum cryptography systems. "Unlike previously published attempts, this attack is implementable with current off-the-shelf components," says NTNU's Vadim Makarov. "Our eavesdropping method worked both against MagiQ Technology's QPN 5505 and ID Quantique Clavis2 systems."
Quantum cryptography is used to distribute a cryptographic key across an optical network, using the laws of quantum physics to guarantee its secrecy. However, Erlangen-Nurnberg professor Gerd Leuchs notes that the technology's security depends on quantum physics as well as its proper implementation. The labs will work with ID Quantique on countermeasures for the vulnerability.
From Norwegian University of Science and Technology
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