Century-Old Cryptography Technique With ‘Perfect Secrecy’ Inspires The Most Secure Chip – Mashable India

Encryption is widely regarded as a necessary resource to ensure that an individuals privacy is protected in the digital age. Cryptography is a technique of encrypting and decrypting data; for instance, messages on platforms like WhatsApp, Viber and Signal that offer end-to-end encryption. In a new study, researchers have claimed to have developed a cryptography technique that ensures perfect secrecy.

Cryptography methods use algorithms that can encrypt data very quickly by using a short public or private cypher. But these cyphers would be susceptible to the computation prowess of future supercomputers and quantum algorithms. Thus to overcome the limitations, researchers developed optical chips that allows users to interact via a one-time un-hackable communication that is more secure than the conventional methods of cryptography.

Author of the study, Andrea di Falco from the University of St. Andrews explained, It can be used to protect the confidentiality of communications exchanged by users separated by any distance, at an ultrafast speed close to the light limit and in inexpensive and electronic compatible optical chips.

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The new method is based on One-time pad (Vernam Cypher), a code developed to encrypt telegram messages, proven to be perfect when implemented correctly. The code uses a random key that is as long as the message to encrypt the message never to be used again and is kept a secret. The code has not been implemented there is no secure way for the sender to share the key with the user.

Researchers in their study explained that by using the second law of thermodynamics, the complex time-varying irreversible structures of silicon chips can be used as the one-time key. Such a one-time-key cannot be recreated and intercepted as it is never stored anywhere, making it secure from data breaches. Also, the method is compatible with the existing optical communication infrastructure.

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Cover Artwork: Dhawal Bhanushali/ Mashable India

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Century-Old Cryptography Technique With 'Perfect Secrecy' Inspires The Most Secure Chip - Mashable India