Tiny, cheap solution for quantum-secure encryption
Microchips with tiny clocks may hold key to future of computing security


Date:
March 22, 2022
Source:
Washington University in St. Louis
Summary:
Engineers propose a new kind of encryption to protect data in the
age of quantum computers.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
It's fairly reasonable to assume that an encrypted email can't be seen
by prying eyes. That's because in order to break through most of the
encryption systems we use on a day-to-day basis, unless you are the
intended recipient, you'd need the answer to a mathematical problem that's nearly impossible for a computer to solve in a reasonable amount of time.


========================================================================== Nearly impossible for modern-day computers, at least.

"If quantum computing becomes a reality, however, some of those problems
are not hard anymore," said Shantanu Chakrabartty, the Clifford W. Murphy Professor and vice dean for research and graduate education in the Preston
M. Green Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering at the McKelvey
School of Engineering.

Already these new computing paradigms are becoming a reality and could
soon be deployable. Hackers are already preparing by storing encrypted transactions now with the expectation they can decipher the information
later.

Chakrabartty's lab at Washington University in St. Louis proposes a
security system that is not only resistant to quantum attacks, but is
also inexpensive, more convenient, and scalable without the need for
fancy new equipment.

This research will appear in the IEEE Transactions of Information
Forensics Science.

Security is often managed today by key distribution systems in which
one person sends information hidden behind a key, maybe a long string
of seemingly unassociated numbers. The receiver of that information can
access the information if they possess another specific key. The two keys
are related in a mathematical way that is nearly impossible to guess, but
can be easily solved with the right algorithm or using a quantum computer.



========================================================================== There have been potential solutions for securing data against a "quantum attack." Some technologies have been commercialized already. But they
are computationally very expensive or require dedicated optical fibers
or satellite links via lasers.

The new protocol for Symmetric Key Distribution, which Chakrabartty and Mustafizur Rahman, a PhD student in Chakrabartty's lab and first author
on the research paper, refer to as SPoTKD, doesn't require lasers or
satellites or miles of new cable. It relies on tiny microchips embedded
with even tinier clocks that run without batteries.

The clocks are really electrons that seem to magically transport
themselves between two locations on the chip using quantum tunneling; the "time" refers to the motion of the electrons. When the chips are created,
their initial state is also recorded on a computer server.

If someone wants to create a secure channel, they note the time on a
subset of the clocks and send that information to the server, which can
use its knowledge of the initial state to determine what time the clocks
read at the time they were sent. The server lets the person know what
the times were and, if correct, a secure channel of communication has
been opened.

The quantum nature of the electrons' transport adds some extra layers of security; if they are measured, the clock collapses. It will disappear
forever and neither a spy nor the recipient can access the information.



==========================================================================
And, as Chakrabartty has shown in the past, these kinds of systems can
also power themselves for extended periods of time with the slightest
energy input at the outset, thanks to the properties of quantum
tunneling. This is another security advantage of his SPoTKD: it doesn't
rely on outside energy to power it.

"A big vulnerability would be if you could tap into the power source," Chakrabartty said. "You would be able to monitor the fluctuations in
power consumption to get secret information." Chakrabartty is working
on some additional features for these chips, including the ability to self-destruct after a specified period of time. A provisional US patent
for the technology has been filed by the Office of Technology Management.

Ultimately, SPoTKD could be used to make sure medical records are
destroyed after being read by a doctor, or to enforce time limits on
software licenses.

They can secure voting records or validate NFTs or just make sure no
one is reading your email.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
Washington_University_in_St._Louis. Original written by Brandie
Jefferson. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Mustafizur Rahman, Liang Zhou, Shantanu Chakrabartty. SPoTKD:
A Protocol
for Symmetric Key Distribution over Public Channels Using
Self-Powered Timekeeping Devices. IEEE Transactions on Information
Forensics and Security, 2022; 1 DOI: 10.1109/TIFS.2022.3158089 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220322150835.htm

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