Quantum cryptography is supposed to be unbreakable. But a flaw in a common type of equipment used makes it possible to intercept messages without detection.

Quantum cryptography has been used by some banks to protect data, and even to hide election results in Switzerland last year. But it has been discovered that shining bright light into the sensitive equipment needed makes it possible to hijack communications without a trace.

"It turns the equipment into a puppet-box that an eavesdropper can control," says Vadim Makarov from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, who uncovered the vulnerability.

Bruce Schneier hat am 29. Oktober geschrieben
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Basically, the Swiss company ID Quantique convinced the Swiss government to use quantum cryptography to protect vote transmissions during their October 21 election. It was a great publicity stunt, and the news articles were filled with hyperbole: how the "unbreakable" encryption will ensure the integrity of the election, how this will protect the election against hacking, and so on.

Complete idiocy. There are many serious security threats to voting systems, especially paperless touch-screen voting systems, but they're not centered around the transmission of votes from the voting site to the central tabulating office. The software in the voting machines themselves is a much bigger threat, one that quantum cryptography doesn't solve in the least.

Links:

IEEE:
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/oct07/5634

NEWS:
http://www.hackinthebox.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=28538&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

Schneider:
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/10/switzerland_pro.html