Quantum cryptography and Post-Quantum cryptographyHello guys
today i want to explain Quantum cryptography and Post-quantum cryptography
and how they can affect blockchain security and whats the solution.
lets start with a brief explanation of cryptography:
Cryptography is the process of encrypting data, or converting plain text into scrambled text
so that only someone who has the right “key” can read it.
NOW what is quantum cryptography?
Quantum cryptography simply uses the principles of quantum mechanics
to encrypt data and transmit it in a way that cannot be hacked.
and what is Post-Quantum cryptography?
Post-quantum cryptography refers to cryptographic algorithms (usually public-key algorithms)
that are thought to be secure against an attack by a quantum computer.
These complex mathematical equations take traditional computers months or even years to break.
However, quantum computers running Shor’s algorithm will be able to break math-based systems in moments.
How Quantum Cryptography Works?
Quantum cryptography, or quantum key distribution (QKD), uses a series of photons (light particles)
to transmit data from one location to another over a fiber optic cable.
By comparing measurements of the properties of a fraction of these photons,
the two endpoints can determine what the key is and if it is safe to use.
The sender transmits photons through a filter (or polarizer) which randomly gives them one of four possible polarizations
and bit designations: Vertical (One bit), Horizontal (Zero bit), 45 degree right (One bit), or 45 degree left (Zero bit).
The photons travel to a receiver, which uses two beam splitters (horizontal/vertical and diagonal) to “read” the polarization of each photon.
The receiver does not know which beam splitter to use for each photon and has to guess which one to use.
Once the stream of photons has been sent, the receiver tells the sender which beam splitter
was used for each of the photons in the sequence they were sent, and the sender compares that information with the sequence of polarizers used to send the key.
The photons that were read using the wrong beam splitter are discarded, and the resulting sequence of bits becomes the key.
If the photon is read or copied in any way by an eavesdropper, the photon’s state will change.
The change will be detected by the endpoints. In other words, this means you cannot read the photon and forward it on or make a copy of it without being detected.
The Solution We Need Now for Tomorrow!
The need for unbreakable encryption is staring us in the face.
With the development of quantum computers looming on the horizon, the integrity of encrypted data is at risk now.
Fortunately, quantum cryptography, through QKD, offers the solution we need to safeguard our information well into the future – all based on the complex principles of quantum mechanics.
In January 2022 a team at Sussex University spin-out company Universal Quantum published research on transit attacks
which calculated that it would require a quantum computer with a 1.9 billion qubit-capacity to break Bitcoin’s encryption in the required ten-minute window
(this is the time taken for a Bitcoin to be mined). Even at 317 million qubits it would take an hour and 13 million qubits for a day.
For context, IBM’s superconducting quantum computer currently has a 127-qubit processor.
REFRENCES:
www.investmentmonitor.ai
www.quantumxc.com
www.techtarget.com
Hope you enjoy this article.
please share me your opinion about Quantum computing in comments.
can they break BITCOIN???!!!
