India’s Quantum Breakthrough in Cybersecurity: True Random Numbers for Unhackable Encryption

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• In a major advancement for cybersecurity, researchers at Bengaluru’s Raman Research Institute have successfully developed and certified a quantum-based method for generating true random numbers.
• Using a general-purpose quantum computer, the team experimentally demonstrated authentic randomness, a crucial element for creating unhackable encryption systems.
• This marks the first time such a technique is ready for real-world deployment, potentially laying the foundation for next-generation, hack-proof digital security.

Random Numbers in the Quantum Computing Era

• Random numbers are the foundation of modern digital security, forming the basis for encryption keys, passwords, and authentication systems. 
• Their strength lies in being completely unpredictable, ensuring data remains secure from hacking attempts.

Pseudorandom Numbers and Their Limits

• Currently, most systems use pseudorandom numbers — numbers generated through computer algorithms that only simulate randomness. 
• While these are nearly impossible to predict without knowing the algorithm and input seed, they are not truly random.
• These pseudorandom systems are sufficiently secure for now; even with brute-force attacks, traditional computers would take centuries to break their encryption.
• However, the emergence of quantum computers, which exploit quantum properties like superposition and entanglement, poses new vulnerabilities to current encryption systems.
• Quantum computers can process data exponentially faster, potentially decoding existing cryptographic protections that rely on pseudorandomness.

The Need for True Randomness

• As quantum computing advances, there’s a growing need to upgrade digital security using truly random numbers generated from quantum processes.
• Such quantum randomness could make future encryption systems virtually unbreakable, protecting sensitive data in the post-quantum era.

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Randomness in Nature and Its Role in Quantum Security

• Unlike algorithmic generation, true randomness exists in natural phenomena such as radioactive decay, weather fluctuations, and especially quantum behaviour of microscopic particles. 
• In the quantum realm, particles like photons or electrons exist in multiple states simultaneously, and only upon measurement do they randomly collapse into a definite state — a process that cannot be predicted.

How Quantum Random Number Generators Work

• A Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) uses this unpredictability. 
• For instance, when a stream of photons is measured for a specific property, outcomes are assigned as 0 or 1, creating a truly random binary sequence.
• However, if the device is biased or faulty, the randomness can be compromised — introducing vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers.

The Challenge of Certification

• Even with quantum systems, verifying that numbers are genuinely random is difficult. 
• This problem of certification arises because external interference or internal defects can mimic randomness, making authenticity uncertain.
• Cybersecurity must assume that malicious actors possess limitless hacking potential. 
• Thus, the aim is not merely to make systems hard to hack, but to make hacking theoretically impossible under known physical laws — a goal that quantum-certified randomness seeks to achieve.

From Entanglement to True Randomness

• Quantum physicists at the Raman Research Institute (RRI) have pioneered a device-independent method for generating true random numbers, leveraging a quantum property known as entanglement.
• In entanglement, two particles remain mysteriously linked, with the behaviour of one instantly influencing the other, regardless of distance. 
• Randomness is confirmed when their measurement outcomes violate Bell’s Inequality, a signature of genuine quantum behaviour.
  • The violation of Bell’s Inequality means that the quantum world cannot be explained by a local, predetermined plan. It confirms two major things:
    • Genuine Randomness: The results of quantum measurements are truly, fundamentally random.
    • Spooky Connection (Non-locality): Particles can be instantaneously linked across vast distances, a connection that is stronger than any “classical” signal could achieve.

Global Significance and Future Potential

• The current achievement represents the first major globally relevant output from India’s National Quantum Mission, aligning perfectly with its goals of advancing quantum technologies.
• While still in the laboratory stage, the method could evolve into a commercial-grade system for hack-proof digital security with further support from government and private funding.
• This marks a transformative step in quantum cryptography and cybersecurity, positioning India among global leaders in quantum technology innovation.

Source: IE | ToI