Quantum cryptography leverages the principles of quantum mechanics to secure communication. It ensures that any eavesdropping attempts disrupt the quantum states, thereby alerting the communicating parties. This leads to virtually unbreakable encryption. That's because it's the laws of physics that is protecting the data unlike the conventional computational complexity.
 |
Quantum cryptography is a type of cryptography that uses the principles of quantum mechanics to encrypt and decrypt messages.
How Does Quantum Cryptography Work?
The most well-known implementation of quantum cryptography is Quantum Key Distribution (QKD).
It works with the following basic steps.
Key Creation: A sender (for eg. Alice) and a receiver (eg. Sam) exchange quantum bits (qubits) over a quantum channel.
Secured Transmitting: The qubits are transmitted as polarized photons. Any attempt to intercept the qubits alters their state, alerting Alice and Sam to eavesdropping.
Key Agreement: Once a secure quantum channel is established, a shared secret key is generated and used to encrypt and decrypt messages over a classical channel.
Types
There are two main types of quantum cryptography:
Quantum key distribution (QKD):
This type of cryptography uses the principles of quantum mechanics to generate and distribute secret keys between two parties. These keys can then be used to encrypt and decrypt messages using classical cryptographic algorithms.
Quantum cryptography with entangled particles:
This type of cryptography uses the principles of quantum entanglement to encrypt and decrypt messages. This is a more advanced type of quantum cryptography that is still being developed.
Uses
Quantum cryptography is still in its early stages of development, but it has the potential to be used in a wide range of applications, including:
Secure communication: Quantum cryptography can be used to create secure communication channels that are impossible to eavesdrop on. This could be used to protect sensitive information such as financial transactions and government secrets.
Data security: Quantum cryptography can be used to protect data from unauthorized access. This could be used to protect personal information, medical records, and financial data.