Security of digital payments: this new discovery that could change the game

In the world of cryptos, the security of digital transactions has always been a major challenge. Much research has been carried out to improve the safety of operations. A recent study by the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology may well change that. By harnessing the mysterious principles of quantum mechanics, this research offers a new approach that could make digital payments unconditionally secure.

Towards the absolute security of quantum digital payments?

Research into securing digital payments is progressing significantly. The Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology presented a new study on the subject on Tuesday, July 4.

The resulting results shed light on what could be the first-ever digital transaction mechanism “unconditionally sure”. Security implemented thanks to the principles that govern quantum mechanics.

Entitled “Demonstration of quantum-digital payments”, this research uses a scientific method to show “how quantum light can secure everyday digital payments”.

This, “by generating inherently tamper-proof quantum cryptograms”. In other words, the attacks of an ill-intentioned person against an operation, governed by this method, would be automatically neutralized.

More concretely, the mechanism designed by the research is based on what is called quantum entanglement. It is a fundamental principle of quantum physics according to which two or more particles are inseparably linked.

It is, basically, the exploitation of the principle of quantum entanglement which guarantees the transmission of non-modifiable and inaccessible data. The least we can say is that this study is a significant step forward for the crypto sector.

At the very least, it materializes the possibilities of realizing a completely secure, inviolable and absolutely private digital payment system. A perspective that nevertheless suffers from a small barrier: the time required to operationalize the security process.

According to the scientists, this one is for the moment relatively long. It would be in the order of ten minutes or so for just a single digital payment made via this method. The challenge now is to be able to pass on this process on a larger scale.

This ambition could materialize in the near future. “Indeed, brighter sources of entangled photon pairs have already been demonstrated, which could reduce the transmission time of the token quantum to less than a second »say the researchers.