19 March 2018, AUC Logic Lectures Series, Christian Schaffner

Recent progress in building quantum computers leads to new opportunities for cryptography, but also endangers existing cryptographic schemes. A large-scale quantum computer will be able to factor large integer numbers, thereby breaking the security of currently used public-key cryptography. The research area of “post-quantum cryptography” investigates the possibilities for replacing currently used classical (i.e. non quantum) systems with quantum-proof variants. On the other hand, quantum mechanics offers a way to communicate with information-theoretic security (which is provably impossible in the classical world). The Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocol invented in 1984 by Bennett and Brassard allows two players, Alice and Bob, to securely communicate over an insecure line which is eavesdropped on by Eve. In this talk, I will cover various aspects of the fascinating field of quantum cryptographic research as well as some related political and logical questions.