Washington: Scientists have claimed that
cryptography -- the practice and study of hiding information
-- which is based solely on physical location, is possible by
using quantum mechanics.
According to the scientists, such a method allows
one to encrypt and decrypt data at a secure location without
pre-sharing any cryptographic keys that can be used to lock
or unlock sensitive information.
The idea behind location-based cryptography is that
only a recipient at a precise geographic location can receive
an encrypted message -- the location itself acts as credential
required for generating an encryption key.
This type of cryptography could be useful in several
settings. For example, one could communicate with a military
base with a guarantee that only someone physically present at
the base will have access to information, say the scientists.
Furthermore, the location-based method eliminates
the need for distributing and storing keys, one of the most
difficult tasks in cryptography.
"A central tool in location-based cryptography is
secure location verification, which is a method for verifying
the geographical position of a device in secure manner.”
"Securely proving a location where such a proof cannot
be spoofed, and securely communicating only to a device in a
particular location and nowhere else is extremely important,"
said lead scientist Rafail Ostrovsky of California University.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 13:46