The ultimate anti-hacker tech

Quantum Key Distribution, computer, hacker, heart bleed, quantum, toshiba, BT, photon, data transferWith all the recent concerns regarding the Heartbleed security scare, Toshiba, BT and ADVA Optical Networking have picked a great moment to reveal their new trick for stopping hackers stealing your data.

A key is created at one end of the data transfer and encrypted. The data is sent to the recipient who will be able to unlock the data using the encryption key. The trick is how to secure the key and stop hackers from hijacking the message and decoding the key, enabling them to read your messages.

The answer lies in photons. Binary data is created in the form of photons, which are fired to the recipient in steady time intervals. If anyone tries to intercept these photon signals, the  quantum bit error rate rises, the system realises there’s activity on the line and the transfer is halted, alerting both parties to the attempted hack.

This ground-breaking technology has just been revealed to the world, with the hope that it will be rolled out to the general public soon. It could revolutionise how we share personal data and make payments online.