Innovative out-of-band key delivery technique in detail
Quantum Xchange, providing a dynamic network for unbreakable key exchange and quantum readiness, today announced the availability of Phio™ Trusted Xchange (TX), a patent-pending key management system that enables organizations to select the level of protection needed based on their risk tolerance, resource availability, and other business drivers. Working within an organization's existing encryption environment, the Phio TX out-of-band symmetric key delivery enables encrypted, fault-tolerant, and load-balanced point-to-multipoint key transmissions across any distance without the need for dedicated fiber. Organizations can select advanced end-to-end protection i.e., traditional cryptography with out-of-band key delivery, quantum cryptography via Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), or a combination of both – all resistant to quantum attack.
"Phio TX is a true game-changing technology and puts Quantum Xchange several years ahead of any other quantum communications provider," said John Prisco, CEO and President of Quantum Xchange. "The magnitude of this innovation is three-fold: first, it makes your environment even more secure because existing crypto-keys are now quantum safe; secondly, it offers practicality and affordability to organizations who can start simple, then grow as the need arises by layering in QKD for unbreakable key exchange; and third, it makes QKD commercially viable by removing the distance limitations and point-to-point only restrictions that have hindered QKD's adoption by enterprises."
While there's some debate as to when quantum computers will be available for commercial use, nefarious actors are harvesting data now, stockpiling it and waiting for the day when a quantum computer can break modern encryption standards in mere minutes. Gartner estimates that by 2023, 20% of all organizations will budget for quantum projects, and the global quantum cryptography communications market is expected to grow to $24.75 billion in 2025, according to Market Research Media. Organizations are looking for dynamic, crypto-agile solutions to keep pace with the rapidly approaching quantum era, while also seeking the highest levels of protection available today for their most critical assets, communication channels, and long shelf-life data.
"Organizations should evaluate their needs thoroughly with an understanding that different vulnerabilities warrant different key delivery techniques," said Dr. Whitfield Diffie, co-inventor of the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol and 2015 Turing Award winner for fundamental contributions to modern cryptography. "QKD will not be affected by the development of quantum computers and is noteworthy for protection against intruders in the middle, a phenomena difficult to detect with other approaches."
Phio TX was designed to be vendor agnostic and work independently of QKD. It introduces a self-organizing mesh network of secure nodes with hop-to-hop transmissions every 100 kilometers across any transport, i.e., WAN, fiber, wireless, to multiple destinations. It doesn't require dedicated fiber and other QKD investments can be seamlessly integrated into the Phio TX network configuration at any phase of deployment. By separating the data and key delivery channel, brute force quantum computer attacks are practically impossible. Combining keys delivered inline by traditional methods, and out-of-band by using Phio TX, allows for unobtrusive deployment on existing networks while significantly increasing the encrypted channel's resistance to attacks.
The company launched Phio, the first quantum network in the U.S., in June 2018. Today, Quantum Xchange offers a collection of products and services for cyber-aware organizations and government agencies looking to be quantum ready, crypto agile, and resistant to quantum attack. Products can be used individually, or as a managed service, and include:
- Phio QK (Quantum Keys): Quantum Xchange's unbreakable key exchange using photons of light that can't be cloned, interrupted, or altered in any way. QKD is the only provably secure and absolute method for sharing a secret key between two entities, using quantum mechanics instead of electronic bits to transmit encryption keys.
- Phio TX (Trusted Xchange): The patent-pending, out-of-band key delivery technology that enables encrypted, fault-tolerant and load-balanced point-to-multipoint transmissions across any distance. The encryption and key generation work together with QKD if desired, delivering a dynamic, future-proof solution.
- Phio Fiber Network: 1,000 kilometers of existing optical fiber and 19 co-location centers along the Boston to Washington route from strategic infrastructure partner Zayo Group. The first quantum-ready fiber network in the U.S. runs from Washington, D.C., to New York City and onto Boston, including key connections to the financial markets on Wall Street with back office operations in New Jersey. Quantum Xchange plans to extend Phio nationwide over the next 12 months.
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