{"id":36871,"date":"2023-09-04T10:45:20","date_gmt":"2023-09-04T09:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=36871"},"modified":"2024-09-04T20:17:26","modified_gmt":"2024-09-04T19:17:26","slug":"quantum-randomness-why-its-essential-for-securing-the-connected-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/quantum-randomness-why-its-essential-for-securing-the-connected-future\/36871\/","title":{"rendered":"Quantum randomness: Why it\u2019s essential for securing the connected future"},"content":{"rendered":"
Earlier this year, the UK Government announced its National Quantum Strategy<\/a>, naming the development of quantum technologies a national priority. They have said these technologies will ‘revolutionise’ life in the UK and bring enormous benefits in the next ten years.<\/p>\n Certainly, quantum technologies have incredible potential to offer solutions to many challenges faced today, including:<\/p>\n Due to the particularities of quantum computers, quantum algorithms are expected to be able to break existing encryption methods used today from data centres, banks, and everyday consumers once the hardware reaches a certain level of maturity. However, just as some quantum technologies can weaken current cybersecurity systems<\/a>, others will strengthen them. This is where Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNGs), or quantum randomness, come in.<\/p>\n The vast majority of our data is digital, and a large amount of that data is personal or confidential. Having reliable encryption is, therefore, part and parcel of living in the digital age.<\/p>\n Behind every encryption system, a fundamental component is the encryption key. Every encryption algorithm requires a key and if that key is hackable, no matter how complex the algorithm is, the system will be vulnerable. To avoid a hackable encryption key, randomness is essential.<\/p>\n This is analogous to passwords. When creating a password, the more complex or \u2018random\u2019 that password is, the harder it is for it to be predicted, and the safer the system is.<\/p>\n As opposed to passwords, computers and networks today need to generate encryption keys on a much larger scale \u2013 billions per second \u2013 and they need to be as random as possible to avoid being cracked.<\/p>\n The problem many face when it comes to true quantum randomness is that it is exceptionally hard to generate and, especially, to verify.<\/p>\n Therefore, there have been many failures in the generation of randomness that have caused vulnerabilities in cybersecurity systems with significant consequences.<\/p>\n An example of this is the announcement Cisco made recently that one of its firewall systems \u2013 which is also one of the most commonly used around the world \u2013 had a vulnerability caused by insufficient randomness.<\/p>\n The fact that this is the second time a vulnerability has been discovered in five years shows how difficult it is, even for the big, multinational conglomerates, to build systems that achieve true randomness.<\/p>\n It shows that quantum randomness, even though it’s so fundamental to effective security<\/a>, is very complex. This combination of complexity and importance means that devices that reliably generate verifiable randomness are rare and invaluable.<\/p>\n Currently, in every cybersecurity system, there will be a source of randomness that helps to secure data by making the encryption algorithms harder to guess.<\/p>\n\n
Why randomness is so important when it comes to security<\/h3>\n
The consequences of insufficient randomness<\/h3>\n
What are QRNGs and what makes them different?<\/h3>\n