Indian Cyber Space and Quantum Techniques
Source : Indian Express
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What is discussed under Indian Cyber Space and Quantum Techniques?
- What is Quantum Computing, Classical Computing and Encryption?
- India in Quantum Computing
- Way Forward
Why in News ?
There were reports that the Indian Army is developing cryptographic techniques to make its networks resistant to attacks by systems with quantum capabilities.
Key Facts
- Army has worked with business and academic institutions to develop solutions for secure communications and cryptography.
- This action expands on the previous year’s plan to construct a quantum computing facility at the military engineering school in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
What is the issue?
- The use of quantum-resistant systems has become critical due to the vulnerability of conventional encryption models and the growing number of military applications of quantum technology.
- This necessitates updating the quantum cryptography-resistant current encryption standards.
- Current protocols like the RSA will quickly become outdated.
- Cyberattacks using quantum technology have the potential to penetrate even the most resistant targets, creating a serious weakness in the current digital infrastructure.
- Making these systems hack-proof will cost a lot of money.
What is Quantum Computing, Classical Computing and Encryption?
Classical Computing
- Classical computing is also called as binary computing where information is kept in bits logically represented by a 0 (off) or a 1 (on).
- Information for computer or Digital information or data is made up of bits (either a one or a zero), short form of binary digit.
- These bits form together a combinations of ones and zeroes, and they form a kind of code.
- These codes will be translates into data.
- In digital world everything broken into Binary.
Quantum Computing
- Branch of research concerned with the creation of computer-based technologies based on the ideas of quantum theory.
- A quantum is the smallest discrete unit of a phenomenon.
- The quantum level of energy and matter is explained by quantum theory.
- To carry out particular computational operations, quantum computing employs a combination of bits.
What is encryption?
- It is a privacy tool in which data that can be readable by humans are changed into secret code.
- hackers, cybercriminals, and other online threat can’t read hence it will be safe to sore data.
- Both the sender and the recipient must apply a “secret” encryption key, which is a set of algorithms that scrambles and unscrambles data back into a readable state, to unlock the message.
India in Quantum Computing
- A combined team from the Defence Research and Development Organization and IIT-Delhi successfully tested a QKD link between two cities in Uttar Pradesh, Vindhyachal and Prayagraj, which are each 100 kilometres apart, in February 2022.
- Centre declared quantum technology a mission of national importance.
- Union Budget 2020-21 had proposed to spend Rs 8,000 crore on the newly launched National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications.
- Current Status
- Few capabilities in developing advanced systems capable of withstanding quantum cyberattacks.
Way Forward
- India must consider procuring the United States National Security Agency’s (NSA) Suite B Cryptography Quantum-Resistant Suite.
- Implementing and developing capabilities in quantum-resistant communications
- Partnerships with other techno-democracies.
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