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back to article Quantum Key Distribution proven to work over everyday fibre

A group which in 2012 gave a laboratory demonstration of quantum key distribution (QKD) using lit fibre has taken its next step, demonstrating its technology in a field trial in the UK. Two years ago, El Reg reported the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) led a project that achieved a 500 Kbps key distribution rate on a 50km …

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  1. Charles Manning

    Schrodinger's spy

    Is the NSA bloke in the box dead or alive?

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    1. Bartholomew
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      Re: Schrodinger's spy

      They always use Polonium as the radiation source. And since it is both poison and radiation source, there is no need to collapse the wave function, we all know the outcome of the spy already.

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  2. Steve Medway

    quantum keys are a bad idea

    Boffin 'A' says "lets invent something so secure that its impossible for people to listen in". Boffin 'B' replies "it's obvious, lets use quantum keys, if someone unauthorised peeks at the data its totally garbed". Boffin 'A' says "perfect, nothing could possibly go wrong".

    Meanwhile Terrorist 'A' says "I don't give a shit about the data, I just want to stop em' receiving it". Terrorist 'B' replies "No problem, to stop the data transfer all we have to do it look at it". Terrorist 'A' says "excellent, we've just created the perfect DoS tool! It'll really piss em' off because its far harder to spot an easily moved tap compared to a full on cable break".

    Surely a 'perfect' cryptographic transfer should still be readable by the 'official' receiver while the fibre tapper gets junk........

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    1. Matt 21
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      Re: quantum keys are a bad idea

      Good point. I'm also a little concerned that noise filtering could become a security hole once people work out how to read the data in such a way that it looks like noise effecting the message and not an eavesdropper.

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    2. Christoph
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      Re: quantum keys are a bad idea

      Absolutely correct, a perfect cryptographic transfer should do just that.

      Would you care to invent one?

      Meanwhile we'll just have to carry on using the best method that is currently available.

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