"Using Quantum Physics to Secure Wireless Devices"

The security of communication between wireless devices, such as access cards, key fobs, Bluetooth speakers, and more, is essential to maintaining privacy and preventing theft. However, these tools are not foolproof, and it is becoming easier to find information on how to hack, clone, and circumvent these systems. Therefore, computer engineers at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) have been researching methods for developing more secure devices. In a new paper, UIC researchers describe a quantum physics-inspired method for improving wireless device identification and securing device-to-device communication. It uses a truly random and unique digital fingerprint to create a nearly unbreakable hardware encryption system. The scientists used a quantum physics theory with mathematical experiments to identify a "divergent exceptional point." Quantum physics describes systems that are difficult or impossible to measure precisely, and a quantum state describes a parameter space or range of possible measurements. There are exceptional points within these states where the system's uncertainty is at its maximum. These points present promise for cryptography because the more uncertain the system is, the more secure it is. This article continues to discuss the research on spectral sensitivity near exceptional points as a resource for hardware encryption. 

The University of Illinois Chicago reports "Using Quantum Physics to Secure Wireless Devices"