DETROIT – In Cambridge, Mass, a 12-mile fiber optic photonically encrypted secure network is in operation, perhaps the most secure network in the world. But it is security without a cause because there is nothing to protect on the network. It is a test bed, providing proof of concept for military and early adopters that the smallest particle of light, the photon, is the ideal carrier of security encryption.
Why the photon? Not only because it is faster than any other form of data transmission, but from a security perspective, as soon as the photon is received, by its nature, it is altered. It is therefore impossible for someone to evesdrop or intercept a transmission that has been encrypted using quantum cryptography without immediately alerting the system and administrators to foul play.
The speed of Ethernet over copper has continuously increased and reduced the need for fiber optics in delivering bandwidth. This new form of cryptography is going to increase demand for fiber as it gains traction in the marketplace, as photons are not going to be transmitted over copper, no matter how fast the protocol.
Not that copper will necessarily be eliminated, as the system essentially employs two networks ? one for key distribution (required fiber), the other carrying the encrypted traffic (could be copper). Finally, any transmission medium where optics are employed is a viable medium, so free space optics are also being utilized in the development process.
Executives from BBN Technologies, the private developer working with Harvard to create this new form of encryption, project early adoption in financial and other enterprise networks as soon as a few years, and the possibility of more widespread availability within 5 years.
Several hurdles remain to be overcome before this technology becomes mainstream however; There are currently only 10 nodes on the experimental network – so expanding this for testing is essential, a current speed limitation of 5 Megabit per second (due to limitations of the photon detector). There are also no devices designed to eavesdrop on it ? yet, and finally with a maximum distance of 50 miles with current technology, the applications would be very limited.
Still, as with all new technologies, the promises are great, and the future is bright ? for quantum encryption. A more detailed article is available at
Hans Erickson is CIO for the Detroit Regional Chamber and a member of Michigan InfraGard. [email protected]
