The competition between hackers and those protecting information and systems is now set to tilt in favour of the latter.
Researchers from two departments of Electrical Engineering and Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology at Linköping University in Sweden are developing a system to vastly improve encryption, the most tried and tested way to protect information, and boost cybersecurity. They are developing a new type of Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) working on quantum phenomena with a cost-effective and environment-friendly laser. The system which is under development is expected to be in use to boost cybersecurity in five years, according to Guilherme B Xavier, researcher at the Department of Electrical Engineering at Linköping University, as cited by Linköping University website.
With an increasing number of people connected through cyber networks, besides the dependence of banking and national security on the digital worldwide network growing, it has become all the more imperative to ensure enhanced cybersecurity.
Encryption is done by generating random numbers through a computer programme or hardware, the latter considered safer due to physical processes involved. At the receiving end, the data can be unlocked using keys provided by the random number generator and known only to the receiver.
In hardware random number generation, the best randomness, according to the researchers, is provided by the QRNGs. However, while existing QRNGs are using traditional lasers which are expensive and higher energy-consuming, the Linköping University researchers are developing the new system using light emitting diodes made from the crystal-like material perovskite, a naturally occurring mineral of calcium titanate.
Perovskite is found to offer excellent light absorption and charge-carrier mobilities, resulting in high device efficiency. It is low-cost and an industry-scalable technology with potential applications in lasers, sensors, catalyst electrodes, solar and fuel cells, memory devices and spintronics (study of intrinsic spin of electrons).
According to the university website, Feng Gao, professor at Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, Linköping University, who has researched perovskites over a decade, believes that the recent development of perovskite light emitting diodes (PeLEDs) means that there is an opportunity to revolutionise. “It’s possible to use...a traditional laser for QRNG, but it’s expensive. If the technology eventually finds its way into consumer electronics, it’s important that the cost is kept down and that the production is as environmentally friendly as possible. In addition, PeLEDs don’t require as much energy to run,” the website quotes him.
Trials have revealed that the new QRNG using perovskite is significantly better than existing QRNGs.
The website cites Xavier: “In cryptography, it’s not only important that the numbers are random, but that you’re the only one who knows about them. With QRNGs, we can certify that a large amount of the generated bits is private and thus completely secure. And if the laws of quantum physics are true, it should be impossible to eavesdrop without the recipient finding out.”
The researchers are now working to extend the durability of perovskite in the QRNG, which at current is 22 days.
