Quantum cryptography is a field of study that deals with the use of quantum mechanics principles to secure communication channels. It exploits the fact that measurements of quantum states necessarily disturb them, so any eavesdropper trying to intercept the transmission of information will be detected, ensuring the security of the communication.

One of the most significant advancements in quantum cryptography is the development of quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, which allow two parties to share a secret cryptographic key securely. QKD uses quantum states, such as polarized photons, to encode the key, and any attempt to intercept or measure these states disturbs them, leading to the detection of the eavesdropper.

Another important advancement in quantum cryptography is the development of quantum-safe cryptography, which aims to develop secure cryptographic protocols against quantum computers. Quantum computers can break many of the current cryptographic protocols that rely on mathematical problems that are difficult to solve but easy to verify using classical computers. Quantum-safe cryptography is being developed to address this issue and ensure the security of communication in the post-quantum era.

Additionally, researchers are exploring the use of quantum cryptography for other applications, such as secure cloud computing, secure voting systems, and secure distributed databases. Quantum cryptography is a rapidly advancing field, and further research and development are expected to lead to even more significant advancements and applications in the future.

Two of the most important quantum cryptography algorithms are:

·      BB84 Protocol

·      E91 Protocol

Both the BB84 and E91 protocols rely on the principles of quantum mechanics to ensure the security of the communication channel. The randomness of the quantum states and the randomness of the measurement basis and results make it impossible for an eavesdropper to obtain any information about the secret key without being detected. These protocols are widely used in quantum cryptography for secure communication and have been implemented in practical systems. I will elaborate on and implement both protocols in the coming posts in the Cryptography section of the site.

 

On a side note, I have seen some of my friends may conflate quantum Shor’s algorithm with QKD due to the fact that both techniques have implications for cryptography and the security of communication. Additionally, both techniques rely on the principles of quantum mechanics, which can be difficult to understand and explain.

 

Briefly speaking, the quantum Shor’s algorithm is not a QKD (quantum key distribution) protocol. Quantum Shor’s algorithm is a quantum algorithm for factoring large integers into their prime factors, which has significant implications for cryptography. It enables an attacker to break some commonly used public-key cryptosystems, such as RSA, which are based on the difficulty of factoring large integers.

 

In contrast, QKD protocols are designed to establish a secret key between two parties without any reliance on computational assumptions or unproven mathematical problems, such as the difficulty of factoring large integers. QKD protocols use the principles of quantum mechanics to detect any eavesdropping attempts and ensure the security of the key exchange.

 

While both quantum Shor’s algorithm and QKD have implications for cryptography, they are fundamentally different techniques with different goals and purposes.

 

Again, it is important to note that quantum Shor’s algorithm and QKD are fundamentally different techniques with different goals and purposes. While quantum Shor’s algorithm is a quantum algorithm for factoring large integers and breaking some commonly used public-key cryptosystems, QKD protocols are designed to establish a secret key between two parties without any reliance on computational assumptions or unproven mathematical problems.