Action at a Distance Works

An approach that's already being used for some kinds of encrypted transmission.  Here is a largely non technical explanation using Bell's Theorem.  

How Bell’s Theorem Proved ‘Spooky Action at a Distance’ Is Real

The root of today’s quantum revolution was John Stewart Bell’s 1964 theorem showing that quantum mechanics really permits instantaneous connections between far-apart locations. .Spookiness indeed.  ... '

China Does Quantum Data Link

This apparently uses 'quantum key distribution',  a method we have also recently examined.  Details are interestingly beyond limits we have seen.

Quantum Data Link Established Between 2 Distant Chinese Cities

By New Scientist, June 23, 2021

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China have created a secure quantum link extending 511 kilometers (almost 320 miles) between two Chinese cities.

The researchers strung a fiber-optic connection between Jinan and Qingdao, with a central receiver located between the two cities in Mazhan. Lasers at both ends of the cable send photons toward each other. The relay in the middle does not read the data, checking only whether the two signals matched. The researchers found the two ends could exchange a quantum key that could be used to encrypt data sent over traditional networks.

University of Sussex's Peter Kruger said, "Single photons over hundreds of kilometers is quite remarkable."

From New Scientist

Quantum Physics To Protect Data Over Standard Telecom Networks

Brought to my attention:

Quantum Breakthrough to Protect Data over Standard Telecom Networks

In an exclusive interview with Fortune,  Quantum Xchange’s CEO John Prisco discusses the technique of quantum key distribution (QKD) to help encrypt information for governments and businesses. This breakthrough technology helps keep nefarious actors from stealing critical information from high profile organizations.

According to Prisco, in the past, QKD could only be used in a fiber optic cable between two endpoints over a short distance. Now, the technology has expanded to transmit over any distance across standard telecom networks. It all started when unprecedented leaks from the US and concerns about telecommunication tampering in China brought public awareness of security breaches to the mainstream. The demand for more secure methods of transmitting encryption keys has sparked the interest of the world.

In an attempt to further secure data, new technology now specialized in a quantum encryptor is available in software, which had only been possible using dedicated hardware. The new key is transmitted between endpoints using a network pathway that is separate from the path used to transmit actual encoded data.  Prisco explains, “This creates triple work for any hacker.” He went on to say that an attacker must identify and hit both the data transmission pathways and the key transmission pathway and know how to synchronize the timing of both transmissions to decode the data. Recently introduced, Quantum Xchange’s new multi-point Phio TX system is being used a large telecommunications company to standardize encryption to accept quantum keys.

To learn more, read the full article: In Breakthrough, Company Uses Quantum Physics To Protect Data Over Standard Telecom Networks     ... "

Also described here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTpFIjtcreA

Cisco on Post Quantum Security

Full considerable article at the link, a good overview of the direction of quantum Crypto, with predictive time line.

It’s Not Too Early to Start Thinking About Post-Quantum Security
By Eve Griliches

In networking and communication, information security is absolutely necessary when transmitting over any untrusted medium, especially the Internet. Interestingly, people have been trying to securely encrypt information for 1000s of years, mostly using intuitive methods of encrypting, which is a good reason why we need cryptography. Cryptography protects data from being stolen or altered and is also used for individual authentication.

Physics proposed a solution known as quantum key distribution (QKD) which uses the quantum property of the particle to create and transmit a secure key. This is an interesting solution because a quantum particle state cannot be copied, so it is inherently possible to validate that a transmitted key is secure.

Actual quantum computers are still in early development but the threat to communication security has triggered investigations into alternative methods to distribute encryption keys. As mentioned before one of the methods proposed to address post-quantum security challenges is the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) because of its theoretical promise to be intrinsic unbreakable and offering an easy method to detect the eavesdropper presence. Unfortunately, implementation flaws and side-channel attacks could open up a vulnerability, and while current commercial QKD systems are designed to have no exploitable implementation flaws and be resistant against known side-channel attacks, it leaves open the question about side-channel attacks which have yet to be discovered.

It is believed that quantum computing will have a huge impact on areas such as logistics, military activities, pharmaceuticals (drug design and discovery), aerospace design, nuclear fusion, financial modeling, polymer design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, fault detection, Big Data, and capital goods, especially digital manufacturing. According to an analysis by Nature, private investors have funded at least 52 quantum-technology companies. The market for quantum computing is projected to reach $64.98 billion by 2030 from just $507.1 million in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 56.0% during the forecast period (2020–2030). According to a CIR estimate, revenue from quantum computing is pegged at $8 billion by 2027.

How quantum computing will scale, while quantum error correction itself is an implementation challenge, and still needs to be solved. Real quantum cryptoanalysis is most likely ~10 years away. Quantum key exchange has proven fantastic and unbreakable when implemented correctly, but it is limited by the physical infrastructure. There may be a niche application for relatively short distances, but it will not be a general solution. Cisco is tracking all of the solutions in this area and will bring to market a flexible solution that will enable our customers to use whatever PQ secure solution they feel more appropriate for them.

Read the full Cisco Post-Quantum Security Brief here: