The new Buzz Lightyear film might still be a year away, but there is some pretty out-of-this-world activity going on around us right now!
Now that cringey-dad-joke opener might sound like a great big exaggeration to you, but keep reading and you’ll see what I mean…
A recent announcement made by quantum encryption company Arqit details the company’s upcoming collaboration with Blue Bear Systems, a pioneer in autonomous systems and unmanned vehicles. The agreement stipulates that the companies will come together to test Arqit’s quantum encryption technology on Blue Bear’s unmanned systems.
So why is this so exciting?
Well, put simply, this collaboration is a game-changer for the defence industry right across the globe. Due to the nature of the threats Arqit’s technology is capable of alleviating and the scale of Blue Bear’s technology, this is a test that would have implications for every national defence organisation ever. Basically, if this works, everyone will want it.
Let me explain this in a little more detail.
Arqit’s unique quantum encryption technology underpins a cyber security solution that is completely unparalleled. Their product, QuantumCloud, is capable of taking the most effective and efficient form of cyber security (symmetric key distribution or ‘SKD’) and elevating it such that it can work at literally any scale. But that’s not all. They also found a way to base the entire process in the cloud, so all you need on the ground is a few lines of code installed on your device that links up with Arqit’s SKD solution. For Arqit’s customers, this means a simple but bulletproof line of defence for any device, anywhere, against any and all forms of cyber attack.
So where does Blue Bear come in? Well, Blue Bear Systems provide a range of autonomous and unmanned systems for both civil and military markets. These include aircraft, boats and ground-based vehicles, as well as drones. Their client list includes many military organisations worldwide, for whom their vehicles are a genuine lifeline.
Now, let’s look at the potential of this partnership in action…
‘Cyberwarfare’ is the term used to describe the use of cyber attacks to impede an enemy nation in their attempts to attack or defend themselves. There are a number of different tactics used, but primarily this kind of technique would be utilised for one of two reasons:
- To steal and (if necessary) decrypt information that might indicate what an enemy is planning.
- To disrupt or shut down an enemy system such that their weapons, communications, or data storage no longer works, rendering them relatively defenceless in the event of an attack.
As you can imagine, neither of these outcomes is particularly good for the enemy. In fact, either of them could easily change the tide of a war entirely. But just to make the image even more vivid, let’s look at an example of this in action.
Imagine a scenario where the UK is at war with an enemy country. In order to search and destroy a well-known military base in the enemy territory, search drones and other UAV’s (unmanned aerial vehicles) carrying offensive ordinances are sent to the area. Because the UAV’s don’t have a robust enough cyber security solution, the enemy is able to tap into the aircraft and redirect them. They may even be able to take control of them completely, which is basically like handing over a number of incredibly costly vehicles and throwing in some expensive weapons for good measure.
Doesn’t sound ideal, does it? Now you’re starting to understand why it is so important that we arm all our connected military devices with the best possible cyber security solutions. This is where Arqit comes in.
What’s more, this entire scenario doesn’t even consider what might happen if the enemy in question was equipped with quantum technology. Although still very much in development, experts argue that this technology has the capacity to completely destroy all known security measures, including those that many military organisations currently rely on. So, even with the best cyber security solutions in place, without a solution capable of outsmarting a quantum computer, we’d all be doomed. Don’t panic, though, as Arqit’s aforementioned QuantumCloud solution is exactly this, completely quantum-ready and bulletproof even against the soon-to-be threat of quantum technology.
So, in summary, this recent announcement is something we should all be pretty excited about and very grateful for. The truth is, we often take for granted what is going on behind closed doors to keep us all safe. In the western world, we are fortunate enough not to have much visibility over what is happening over in our military bases to ensure we don’t suffer the consequences of any type of warfare. Hopefully, this blog has given you a little bit of insight into what that is, as well as why it is so important.
