Canadian researchers claim Chinese quantum network might not be hack proof after all
University of Ottawa physicists say they’ve found a way to partially replicate data from supposedly completely secure system
Canadian researchers said they have found a way to partially replicate data from the highly secured quantum network, which could serve as an alarm for their Chinese counterparts who are spearheading a state-of-the-art hack-proof communications system.
A hacker could use the technology to intercept encrypted information transmitted in a quantum communication line, previously thought to be perfectly secure, according to their paper published on Friday in the journal Science Advances.
China is constructing the world’s largest and most sophisticated quantum network. The multibillion yuan facility consisting of the world’s first quantum satellite and longest ground network connecting Beijing and Shanghai, with plans to expand to other cities.
A quantum data network is built upon a fundamental law of physics that any third-party attempt to read information encoded in quantum bits would change the original copy, so the data cannot be cloned.
The Canadian team led by Professor Ebrahim Karimi at the University of Ottawa said they found a feasible method to bypass the quantum check.