Computer Security – Impact Lab

Computer Security, Science & Technology News

Samsung’s new Galaxy Quantum 2 uses quantum cryptography to secure apps

April 24, 2021

Launched in South Korea, the Quantum 2 smartphone has a quantum random number generator chip built in.

Developed together with SK Telecom, the Galaxy Quantum 2 is the second quantum-equipped smartphone released by Samsung. Image: SK Telecom

Samsung is launching a new smartphone equipped with quantum cryptography technology, which promises to deliver a new level of security to consumer applications like mobile banking.

Developed together with South Korean telecoms giant SK Telecom, the Galaxy Quantum 2 device will be — at least for the foreseeable future — only available to the South Korean public, and is the second quantum-equipped smartphone released by Samsung.

With a 6.7-inch display, a 64MP main camera, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ chipset, the Quantum 2’s feature set matches some of Samsung’s flagship smartphones, with the additional security of quantum cryptography for some of the device’s services.

The Quantum 2’s predecessor, called the Galaxy A Quantum, made its debut last year in South Korea, as the world’s first 5G smartphone with integrated quantum cryptography technology. Like the new Quantum 2, the Galaxy A includes a quantum random number generator (QRNG) that’s designed to secure sensitive transactions against the most sophisticated attacks.

2021 Predictions, Computer Security, quantum computing, Science & Technology News

Quantum computing may make current encryption obsolete, a quantum internet could be the solution

November 14, 2020

Sometime between now and 2030, the mathematical system that protects all of digital communications may fall victim to a superior quantum system. Preparing for that time may require us to reinvent the network itself.

“The quantum threat is basically going to destroy the security of networks as we know them today,” declared Bruno Huttner, who directs strategic quantum initiatives for Geneva, Switzerland-based ID Quantique. No other commercial organization since the turn of the century has been more directly involved in the development of science and working theories for the future quantum computer network.

Quantum computers offer great promise for cryptography and optimization problems. ZDNet explores what quantum computers will and won’t be able to do, and the challenges we still face.

One class of theory involves cryptographic security. The moment a quantum computer (QC) breaks through the dam currently held in place by public-key cryptography (PKC), every encrypted message in the world will become vulnerable. That’s Huttner’s “quantum threat”.

Continue reading… “Quantum computing may make current encryption obsolete, a quantum internet could be the solution”

communication, Computer Security, Military, quantum computing, Science & Technology News

New research advances U.S. Army’s quest for ultra-secure quantum networking

August 25, 2020

Two U.S. Army research projects at the University of Chicago advance quantum networking, which will play a key role in future battlefield operations.

Quantum networks will potentially deliver multiple novel capabilities not achievable with classical networks, one of which is secure quantum communication. In quantum communication protocols, information is typically sent through entangled photon particles. It is nearly impossible to eavesdrop on quantum communication, and those who try leave evidence of their tampering; however, sending quantum information via photons over traditional channels, such as fiber-optic lines, is difficult – the photons carrying the information are often corrupted or lost, making the signals weak or incoherent.

In the first project, the University of Chicago research team, funded and managed by the U.S. Army’s Combat Capability Development’s Army Research Laboratory’s Center for Distributed Quantum Information, demonstrated a new quantum communication technique that bypasses those traditional channels. The research linked two communication nodes with a channel and sent information quantum-mechanically between the nodes—without ever occupying the linking channel.

“This result is particularly exciting not only because of the high transfer efficiency the team achieved, but also because the system they developed will enable further exploration of quantum protocols in the presence of variable signal loss,” said Dr. Sara Gamble, program manager at the lab’s Army Research Office and co-manager of the Center for Distributed Quantum Information. “Overcoming loss is a key obstacle in realizing robust quantum communication and quantum networks.”

Continue reading… “New research advances U.S. Army’s quest for ultra-secure quantum networking”

Coding, Computer Security, quantum computing, Science & Technology News

The quest for quantum-proof encryption just made a leap forward

August 10, 2020

Quantum computers could make encryption a thing of the past, but 15 contenders are trying to prove they have what it takes to safeguard your data.

Many of the things you do online every day are protected by encryption so that no one else can spy on it. Your online banking and messages to your friends are likely encrypted, for example—as are government secrets. But that protection is under threat from the development of quantum computers, which threaten to render modern encryption methods useless.

Quantum machines work in a fundamentally different way from the classical computers we use today. Instead of using traditional binary code, which represents information with 0s and 1s, they use quantum bits, or qubits. The unusual properties of qubits make quantum computers far more powerful for some kinds of calculations, including the mathematical problems that underpin much of modern encryption.

Continue reading… “The quest for quantum-proof encryption just made a leap forward”

communication, Computer Security, Military, quantum computing, Science & Technology News

New research advances U.S. Army’s quest for ultra-secure quantum networking

July 14, 2020

Two U.S. Army research projects at the University of Chicago advance quantum networking, which will play a key role in future battlefield operations.

Two U.S. Army research projects advance quantum networking, which will likely play a key role in future battlefield operations.

Quantum networks will potentially deliver multiple novel capabilities not achievable with classical networks, one of which is secure quantum communication. In quantum communication protocols, information is typically sent through entangled photon particles. It is nearly impossible to eavesdrop on quantum communication, and those who try leave evidence of their tampering; however, sending quantum information via photons over traditional channels, such as fiber-optic lines, is difficult – the photons carrying the information are often corrupted or lost, making the signals weak or incoherent.

In the first project, the University of Chicago research team, funded and managed by the U.S. Army’s Combat Capability Development’s Army Research Laboratory’s Center for Distributed Quantum Information, demonstrated a new quantum communication technique that bypasses those traditional channels. The research linked two communication nodes with a channel and sent information quantum-mechanically between the nodes—without ever occupying the linking channel.

“This result is particularly exciting not only because of the high transfer efficiency the team achieved, but also because the system they developed will enable further exploration of quantum protocols in the presence of variable signal loss,” said Dr. Sara Gamble, program manager at the lab’s Army Research Office and co-manager of the Center for Distributed Quantum Information. “Overcoming loss is a key obstacle in realizing robust quantum communication and quantum networks.”

Continue reading… “New research advances U.S. Army’s quest for ultra-secure quantum networking”

Computer Security, Coronavirus, Employment, Internet, Science & Technology News

30% of remote employees admit to having an online account compromised on a work device

June 14, 2020

A OneLogin survey covered how employees are using work devices for a variety of other things.

The transition to working from home has been rocky for millions of people as they adjust to transitioning workplace policies into the privacy of their own home. According to a new report from cybersecurity firm OneLogin, people are using work devices for much more than work, even after they’ve had accounts or passwords compromised.

The company’s 2020 COVID-19 State of Remote Work Survey Report features a global survey of 5,000 employees who started working remotely since the outbreak of COVID-19.

Of those surveyed, 30% have had a corporate device breached and only 10% changed the password afterwards. Half of organizations globally have not established cybersecurity guidelines regarding remote work according to the survey and US remote employees use work devices to access adult entertainment sites more than any other country.

Half of UK respondents had not changed their home Wi-Fi password in the last two years, compared with 36% overall, and 25% never changed their password while 45% of US workers have given their work passwords to their child or spouse, compared to 13% in the UK and 9% in France.

Continue reading… “30% of remote employees admit to having an online account compromised on a work device”

Computer Security, Inventions, Medicine, Science & Technology News

Quantum computing : Solving problems beyond the power of classical computing

January 2, 2020

Quantum computers will lead to vast improvements in drug discovery, weather forecasting and supply chain optimisation.

Weather forecasting today is good. Can it get better? Sure, it can, if computers can be better. This is where quantum computers come into the picture. They possess computing capacity beyond anything that today’s classical computers can ever achieve. This is because quantum computers can run calculations exponentially faster than today’s conventional binary computers. That makes them powerful enough to bridge gaps which exist in today’s weather forecasting, drug discovery, financial modelling and many other complex areas.

Classical computing has been the backbone of modern society. It gave us satellite TV, the internet and digital commerce. It put robots on Mars and smartphones in our pockets.

“But many of the world’s biggest mysteries and potentially greatest opportunities remain beyond the grasp of classical computers,” says Stefan Filipp, quantum scientist at IBM Research. “To continue the pace of progress, we need to augment the classical approach with a new platform, one that follows its own set of rules. That is quantum computing.”

Continue reading… “Quantum computing : Solving problems beyond the power of classical computing”

communication, Computer Security, Higher Education, new technology, Science & Technology News

Colleges are turning students’ phones into surveillance machines, tracking the locations of hundreds of thousands

December 30, 2019

Syracuse University is among the dozens of schools in the United States that use tracking systems to monitor students’ academic performance, analyze their conduct or assess their mental health.

When Syracuse University freshmen walk into professor Jeff Rubin’s Introduction to Information Technologies class, seven small Bluetooth beacons hidden around the Grant Auditorium lecture hall connect with an app on their smartphones and boost their “attendance points.”

And when they skip class? The SpotterEDU app sees that, too, logging their absence into a campus database that tracks them over time and can sink their grade. It also alerts Rubin, who later contacts students to ask where they’ve been. His 340-person lecture has never been so full.

“They want those points,” he said. “They know I’m watching and acting on it. So, behaviorally, they change.”

Continue reading… “Colleges are turning students’ phones into surveillance machines, tracking the locations of hundreds of thousands”

Computer Security, IBM, Science & Technology News

Successful deployment of CQC’s Iron Bridge Quantum Photonic Cryptography Device into IBM Key Protect

December 22, 2019

The IronBridge 4 qubit cryptographic device, which can generate quantum secure keys for your applications, successfully integrates with IBM Key Protect for IBM Cloud.

Cambridge Quantum Computing has integrated its IronBridge quantum photonic cryptographic device with IBM Key Protect and can demonstrate the generation of post-quantum secure keys.

This solution requires minimal changes to existing infrastructure and interfaces natively with the IBM Cloud platform. This project was achieved through Cambridge Quantum Computing working with the IBM Key Protect team. Technically, this provides the IBM Cloud with various forms of post-quantum encryption keys and enhanced security around existing cryptography, as classical AES keys benefit from being generated from a quantum source of entropy. The keys are generated through NIST pre-approved algorithms and are uploaded and stored ready for use as Key Protect Standard Keys.

Continue reading… “Successful deployment of CQC’s Iron Bridge Quantum Photonic Cryptography Device into IBM Key Protect”

China, communication, Computer Security, government, Science & Technology News

China introduces mandatory face scans for people buying mobile phones

December 6, 2019

The rule came into effect on December 1st, to “protect” Chinese citizens’ rights and security in cyberspace.

Now people buying new mobile phones and phone contracts in China will have to provide a scan of their faces.

The rule came into effect on Sunday, 1 December and is meant to “protect the legitimate rights and interest of citizens in cyberspace,” according to China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The faces of customers buying new SIM cards must now match their I.D. documents.

It might seem like a step in the right direction along with technological advancement, however, a few privacy concerns have arisen.

Continue reading… “China introduces mandatory face scans for people buying mobile phones”

Computer Security, Crime, Crime Prevention, Science & Technology News

Cybercrime booms as scammers hack human nature to steal billions

November 24, 2019

Cyberscams are getting more sophisticated.

The secret to comedy, according to the old joke, is timing. The same is true of cybercrime.

Mark learned this the hard way in 2017. He runs a real estate company in Seattle and asked us not to include his last name because of the possible repercussions for his business.

“The idea that someone was effectively able to dupe you … is embarrassing,” he says. “We’re still kind of scratching our head over how it happened.”

It started when someone hacked into his email conversation with a business partner. But the hackers didn’t take over the email accounts. Instead, they lurked, monitoring the conversation and waiting for an opportunity.

Continue reading… “Cybercrime booms as scammers hack human nature to steal billions”

Automation, Computer Security, Driverless cars, Science & Technology News

Here’s how quantum computer supremacy will impact self-driving cars

November 23, 2019

Quantum supremacy, achieved?

The news recently was agog with the claim that the so-called and highly sought “quantum supremacy” had been achieved via an effort undertaken by Google researchers.

Not everyone agreed though that the Google effort warranted waving the superlative supremacy flag.

That’s not to say that the use of their 54-qubit Sycamore processor wasn’t notable, and in fact, does provide another handy stride toward achieving viable quantum computing, but whether it was the vaunted moment of true supreme magnificence is something that many would argue is premature and supremely debatable.

Continue reading… “Here’s how quantum computer supremacy will impact self-driving cars”