Secure Communication based on Quantum Cryptography (SECOQC) is a project that aims to develop
quantum cryptography
Quantum cryptography is the science of exploiting quantum mechanical properties to perform cryptographic tasks. The best known example of quantum cryptography is quantum key distribution which offers an information-theoretically secure solution ...
(see there for further details). The
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
decided in 2004 to invest 11 million
EUR
The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . Th ...
in the project as a way of circumventing
espionage
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangibl ...
attempts by
ECHELON
ECHELON, originally a secret government code name, is a surveillance program (signals intelligence/SIGINT collection and analysis network) operated by the five signatory states to the UKUSA Security Agreement:Given the 5 dialects that use ...
.
Christian Monyk, the coordinator of SECOQC, said people and organizations in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Denmark
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,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, and
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
would participate in the project.
On October 8, 2008 SECOQC was launched in Vienna.
Limitations of classical quantum cryptography
Quantum cryptography
Quantum cryptography is the science of exploiting quantum mechanical properties to perform cryptographic tasks. The best known example of quantum cryptography is quantum key distribution which offers an information-theoretically secure solution ...
, usually known as
quantum key distribution
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a secure communication method which implements a cryptographic protocol involving components of quantum mechanics. It enables two parties to produce a shared random secret key known only to them, which can then be ...
(QKD) provides powerful security. But it has some limitations. Following no-cloning theorem, QKD only can provide one-to-one connections. So the number of links will increase
as
represents the number of nodes. If a node wants to participate into the QKD network, it will cause some issues like constructing quantum communication line. To overcome these issues, SECOQC was started.
Brief architecture of SECOQC network
SECOQC network architecture can be divided into two parts: trusted private networks and quantum networks connected via QBBs (quantum backbones). The private networks are conventional networks with end-nodes and a QBB. Each QBB enables quantum channel communication with another QBB and consists of a number of QKD devices that are connected with other QKD devices over one-to-one connections.
From this, SECOQC can provide easier registration of new end-nodes in a QKD network, and quick recovery from threats on quantum channel links.
See also
*
Quantum cryptography
Quantum cryptography is the science of exploiting quantum mechanical properties to perform cryptographic tasks. The best known example of quantum cryptography is quantum key distribution which offers an information-theoretically secure solution ...
References
* Andreas Poppe, Momtchil Peev, Oliver Maurhart, "Outline of the SECOQC Quantum-Key-Distribution Network in Vienna", Apr 2008, International Journal of Quantum Information
* Peev M., Pacher C., Alleaume, R., Happe A., Lorunser T., Poppe A., Themel T., Zeilinger A, "The SECOQC quantum key distribution network in Vienna", July 2009, New Journal of Physics, Volume 11
* Dianati, M. Alleaume, R., "Transport Layer Protocols for the Secoqc Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) Network, Local Computer Networks", 2007. LCN 2007. 32nd IEEE Conference on
External links
E.U. seeks quantum cryptography response to EchelonITworld
International Data Group (IDG, Inc.) is a market intelligence and demand generation company focused on the technology industry. IDG, Inc.’s mission is centered around supporting the technology industry through research, data, marketing technol ...
Cryptography organizations
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