Quantum cryptography: when your link has to be really, really secure: combining quantum theory and single photons, systems can achieve security that the laws of physics--rather than an algorithm's complexity--assure.(HOT TECHNOLOGIES)

EDN, December, 2005 by Schweber, Bill

Keeping data and communications secure is a hot topic. Hackers access systems through open ports, through secret programs, and through various ruses or aliases. As a result, data-security products and strategies are top priorities for both embedded and enterprise systems.

Another long-recognized weakness in any system is the physical link that connects users or system nodes. Although several ways, such as a private channel or a physically secured link, exist to minimize this risk, it is more common to use data encoded using a complex, mathematics-based approach, such as the RSA (Rivest/Shamir/ (Adleman) algorithm or a one-time key. Physically securing the link is often impractical and rules out wireless links; data encoding is susceptible to decoding by a...

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