Quantum-secured communications for Canada (QSC2)

加拿大量子安全通信 (QSC2)

• 批准号: 506474-2017
• 负责人: Tittel, Wolfgang
• 金额: $ 16.6万
• 依托单位: University of Calgary
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Strategic Projects - Group
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2017-01-01 至 2018-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=642094
• 关键词: Quantum; secured; communications; Canada; QSC2

During the past decade, Canada has become deeply vulnerable to cyber attacks that undermine national security, economic prosperity, and the way of life of its citizens. Today, attacks mostly focus on stored information. Yet, current public key cryptosystems, created to protect information in transit, rely on unproven assumptions about computational complexity - they are susceptible to algorithmic advances and better classical computer technology, and will become insecure with the advent of the quantum computer. This will lead to a shift in attack strategy towards data in transmission. As Canada cannot rely on acquiring foreign encryption technology due to trade restrictions or possible "backdoor" information leakage, it is imperative to develop alternative cryptosystems "Made-in-Canada". Quantum key distribution (QKD) is such an alternative. In addition to providing communication security that cannot be broken (not even by a quantum computer), its development also constitutes a first step towards building quantum computer networks, which allow benefiting maximally from such computers' superior computing power. This includes finding 'a needle in a haystack' (e.g. a specific entry in an unsorted database), for machine learning (e.g. for analyzing big data), and for understanding chemical reaction dynamics (e.g. to create better pharmaceuticals and petroleum products). Building on the expertise of internationally leading academics from the Universities of Calgary, Waterloo and Ottawa, and in close collaboration with the National Research Council, the City of Calgary and the Communications Security Establishment - a Government of Canada Department - the proposed research will, in the short term, allow the assessment of QKD for securing the encryption of sensitive data. In the long term, it will lead to a coast-to-coast quantum network that, in addition to QKD, will allow connections to and between quantum computers.

在过去十年中，加拿大非常容易受到网络攻击的影响，这些攻击损害了国家安全、经济繁荣及其公民的生活方式。如今，攻击主要集中在存储的信息上。然而，当前为保护传输中的信息而创建的公钥密码系统依赖于未经证实的有关计算复杂性的假设 - 它们容易受到算法进步和更好的经典计算机技术的影响，并且随着量子计算机的出现而变得不安全。这将导致攻击策略转向传输中的数据。由于贸易限制或可能的“后门”信息泄露，加拿大无法依赖获取外国加密技术，因此开发“加拿大制造”的替代密码系统势在必行。量子密钥分发（QKD）就是这样的一种替代方案。除了提供不可破解的通信安全（即使是量子计算机也无法破解）之外，它的发展还构成了构建量子计算机网络的第一步，可以最大限度地受益于此类计算机的卓越计算能力。这包括“大海捞针”（例如未排序数据库中的特定条目）、机器学习（例如分析大数据）以及理解化学反应动力学（例如创造更好的药品和石油产品）。基于卡尔加里大学、滑铁卢大学和渥太华大学国际领先学者的专业知识，并与国家研究委员会、卡尔加里市和加拿大政府部门通信安全机构密切合作，拟议的研究将短期内，允许评估 QKD 以保护敏感数据的加密。从长远来看，它将形成一个从东海岸到西海岸的量子网络，除了 QKD 之外，还将允许量子计算机之间的连接。