Schneier today is dogging quantum crypto. And whether he's right or wrong in the long run, the notion that's getting clearly in my own mind is that it's almost impossible for a company to legitimately need such a system, simply because it's so easy to screw up everything else. In other words, QC can only make sense in a near state-of-the-art information security infrastructure, because what us is quantum encrypting your keys if someone can merely grab them in the electronic domain? And what need to for an interloper to do that if you'[ve screwed up the basics and your network is wide open? No, In can't see quantum crypto being practically useful in almost any real-world company. If someone gets ahold of that paper I'd like to see it. Are those detectors burst mode? -TD
Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2008 16:38:26 -0400 To: cypherpunks@al-qaeda.net; rah@shipwright.com From: jya@pipeline.com Subject: Re: 'Unbreakable' quantum cryptography hacked without detection using lasers
http://arxiv.org/abs/0809.3408
Can Eve control PerkinElmer actively-quenched single-photon detector?
Authors: Vadim Makarov, Andrey Anisimov, Sebastien Sauge
(Submitted on 19 Sep 2008)
Abstract: We show how PerkinElmer SPCM-AQR detector module can be controlled by an eavesdropper using bright optical pulses, by exploiting an obscure flaw in the detector electrical circuit. First experimental results are reported. This loophole may make possible an attack against quantum cryptosystems that use these detectors.
Comments: 2 pages, 3 figures. Accepted for poster presentation at the SECOQC international conference in Vienna, October 8-10, 2008
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Quantum Hacking
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