The challenges of secure communication

New technologies like the IoT (Internet-of-Things) or wireless communication amongst devices increase our demand for efficient encryption and information security. They also make way for new possibilities of economic value, as for example autonomous or driverless vehicles.

Traffic systems and cyber attacks

Traffic infrastructures are designed and installed for long periods of time – therefore, the technologies applied throughout the process should be too. Asymmetric cryptography however, the common model used at the moment, does not fit this criteria. Encryption based on a public and a private key does not provide sufficient safety for wireless communication and therefore cannot guarantee protection of cyber-attacks. 

Especially long-term security evaluation regarding key generation processes, data integrity and object-authenticity bares problems. A possible solution could be quantum cryptography  - it provides the required security, but unfortunately it is too expensive for the amount of objects in driverless vehicles.

High frequency, high security?

High frequent data transmission offers another potential solution. Problematic areas are sufficient key entropy, susceptibility to tapping, object-authenticity or wide range distances. KIF especially confronts those areas and thematizes rapid and highly secure key generation among a high quantity of moving objects. Long distance telecommunication is another key factor. 

KIF wants to develop and research a highly secure procedure for key generation and distribution based on wireless transmission data. It also integrates an efficient post quantum encryption process for low resource processors.