Recent debate highlights the
importance of cyber security for
data communications
York, 22 June 2015
Professor Tim Spiller, Director of the EPSRC Quantum Communications Hub and the York
Centre for Quantum Technologies, took part at a recent debate which aimed to highlight the
increased need for more sophisticated methods of online security, and to explore the
potential that new applications such as quantum encryption can offer. Part of the York
Festival of Ideas, the Future of Cyber-Security event was organised by the University of York
in partnership with the Institution of Engineering and Technology. With the BBC’s Rory
Cellan Jones acting as host, and an expert panel also comprising Bebo White, widely
regarded as America’s first Webmaster, Fred Piper, a leading expert in cryptography and
information security, Colin Williams, an academic with an interest on the human, cultural,
societal and historical context of computing, and Nicholas Swift, senior cyber security
consultant, the group traced the evolution of our dependence on information
communicated online, from the early days of the development of the world wide web to
today’s prevalence of online networks across all realms of our personal and professional
lives. In the context of a discussion which drew lots of questions from the audience and
ranged from the increasing extent and sophistication of cyber criminality to the degree of
personal responsibility associated with sharing personal data on social media, Professor
Spiller summarised recent developments in the field of quantum encryption and the
commercialisation potential of the most mature of the technologies currently in existence –
QKD or Quantum Key Distribution.
The basic features of quantum physics that guarantee secure communications are: (i)
information encoded in a quantum system cannot be copied; and (ii) information encoded
in a quantum system is irreversibly changed when somebody attempts to eavesdrop on it.
Although conventional encryption techniques rely on mathematical complexity as the
underlying foundation for security, QKD relies on the quantum properties of light. A key is
distributed and established through the transmission and measurement of photons placed
in specific quantum states. Any attempt at eavesdropping by a third party irreversibly alters
these quantum states, thus alerting users to a security breach. Although proven to be
effective, wide use of QKD has been thus far restricted by factors such as cost and bulk of
the existing technology.
Recently, the UK government invested £270m in a coherent national quantum technologies
programme, covering all areas of quantum science applications and including secure
communications, in an attempt to accelerate the translation of quantum technologies into
the marketplace, to boost British business and make a real difference to our everyday lives.
As part of this initiative, the York-led Quantum Communications Hub and its Director,
Professor Tim Spiller, are responsible for delivering widespread and affordable technological
applications, such as short-range, chip-scale QKD modules for mobile devices like phones
that ensure quantum-secured transmission of information online even against attacks using
other quantum technologies. Any such developments will have far-reaching benefits across
the public and private sectors, including the UK's critical infrastructure.
Further Information:
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For more information on the Quantum Communications Hub, visit
http://www.quantumcommshub.net/
For more information on the UK National Quantum Technologies Programme, visit
http://uknqt.epsrc.ac.uk/
For more information on the York Centre for Quantum Technologies, visit
http://www.york.ac.uk/physics/ycqt/
For future York Festival of Ideas events, visit http://yorkfestivalofideas.com/2015/