Researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany have found a way to protect internet communication from future threats, including those posed by powerful quantum computers.
These computers are expected to one day break many of today’s encryption systems, which would put things like emails, messaging apps, and online banking at risk.
Professor Laurent Schmalen from KIT explains that most of today’s encryption methods rely on the difficulty of breaking large numbers into prime numbers.
While this task is extremely hard for normal computers, quantum computers could do it much faster—making current encryption useless.
To prepare for this risk, the KIT team, along with their partners, worked on a method that uses existing, traditional encryption to defend against future quantum threats.
This approach is based on something called symmetric encryption, where both sides in a conversation use the same digital key to lock and unlock the message.
If done correctly, this method is very secure. The problem is that sharing the key safely usually requires expensive and complex equipment.
The big achievement of this project is that the researchers found a way to make this secure key exchange using regular, affordable hardware—like the fiber-optic cables already used in homes and buildings. That means the method could be used worldwide without needing special devices, making it more practical and easier to adopt in the next few years.
The team recently tested their system in real time at LMU Munich. They sent a secure video over a fiber-optic cable using their new method. To make sure both sides got the exact same encryption key—and that no one else could steal it—the researchers created smart algorithms that adjust to changing network conditions. These algorithms make sure the key exchange is safe even if someone is trying to eavesdrop.
Tobias Fehenberger, R&D Director at ADVA Network Security, said the project is a big step forward in making internet communication quantum-safe. He noted that their success in building a working system with standard parts shows that this kind of protection is not just for the lab—it can be used in real-world situations soon.
Thanks to this new method, our internet connections could stay secure even when powerful quantum computers become a reality.
Source: KSR.
