Researcher To Demonstrate Uncrackable Encryption Key

A university researcher next month will demonstrate a new -- and potentially uncrackable -- method of transmitting data encryption keys.

Jacob Scheuer of Tel Aviv University's School of Electrical Engineering has invented a new system built on existing laser, fiber optic, and computer technology, according to news reports. Transmitting binary lock-and-key information in the form of light pulses, his device ensures that a shared key code can be unlocked by the sender and receiver -- and nobody else.

According to the reports, Scheuer -- who will present his invention to peers at next month's Conference for Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) in San Jose, Calif. -- has found a way to transmit a binary code in the form of 1s and 0s, but using light and lasers instead of numbers. "The trick," he says, "is for those at either end of the fiber optic link to send different laser signals they can distinguish between, but which look identical to an eavesdropper."

The new technology uses a special laser that Scheuer invented, which can reach more than 3,000 miles without significant signal loss. In time, it will be adaptable for use anywhere on the globe, he says.

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