FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to encryption and, in particular, to encryption systems and methods based upon one-time-pad (OTP) key generation, distribution and use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The modern Internet based economy is built on the security of public key/private key encryption systems. These systems rely on asymmetric math problems that are hard to solve, but easy to confirm via the correctness of a solution. A common encryption problem is the prime factorization of a very large number. Solving these types of problems requires tediously testing every possible solution until the answer is randomly found. Using conventional computers, cracking this encryption requires incredible amounts of time, expense, and computational power—making it impractical for the typical hacker. The current systems, such as those used for SSL (Secure Socket Layer) in an Internet browser, are very convenient and cheap to maintain and use. Without this technology, it would not be safe to perform financial transactions online, and general user privacy would be compromised.

Decades ago, a new type of computer, a “quantum” computer, was envisioned that would exploit the quirks of quantum mechanics to solve brute force problems almost instantly, by examining all possible solutions simultaneously and settling on the correct answer. About 10 years ago the first proof of concept quantum computers were developed in the lab. Several years later, a company called D-Wave introduced the first commercially available quantum computer. Early versions were essentially high cost novelties ($10 M each) that would allow companies to begin developing algorithms that might become financially viable later. In 2018 D-Wave opened a cloud computing service to the public using its latest generation system. As commercial services are now opening using D-Wave's cloud, there are indications that the technology is crossing the threshold to economic viability. An exponentially faster quantum system will be released by D-Wave shortly. Recently, IBM and Regatti have also released quantum cloud computing using a different technology.

Quantum computers hold great promise for mankind by optimizing the efficiency of complex systems like air traffic routes, aiding the design of pharmaceuticals and machinery, and enabling better artificial intelligence—to name just a few applications. This same power also threatens to destroy the Internet economy by breaching the asymmetric encryption systems used today. The prevailing wisdom is that for now, the length of encryption keys can simply be increased periodically to keep up with the increasing power of quantum computers. This is true to a point. Key length has been increased successfully to compensate for gains in conventional computer capabilities. There is also broad recognition that eventually quantum computers will win out and a new system of encryption will have to be adopted. An additional problem in the interim, is that old messages or transactions could easily be decrypted by next year's quantum technology.

Once quantum computers have reached sufficient power to render asymmetric encryption unsafe, Internet purchases with credit cards will become unsafe. All online banking will stop. Sensitive personal or corporate information could not be transmitted with privacy. Remotely controlled machinery as well as autonomous planes and cars could be hacked into by terrorists. All crypto currencies (such as Bitcoin) rely on asymmetric encryption to maintain their integrity, as do all other current blockchain applications. Much is at stake in replacing current encryption methods in time to prevent a nightmare scenario.

It is well known that a One Time Pad (OTP) encryption system is mathematically impossible to crack, regardless of brute force computing power. Therefore OTP is resistant to cracking by a quantum computer. OTP involves encrypting a message with an XOR logic operation using a random key that is of identical length to the message. Both the sender and receiver use the same key to encrypt and decrypt the message. If the key remains secret, is truly random in nature, and is never reused—then the security of the message is assured. OTP was used extensively in WWII for secure military communications and continues to be used for highly sensitive government and corporate data. Various software programs can be found on the Internet enabling OTP communication between two users. These applications typically require users to physically meet to share a key.

While fully secure, OTP presents practical issues. First of all, keys must be the same length as the message and never reused. This necessitates a large supply of encryption keys that must be securely delivered beforehand between senders and receivers. A different set of keys must exist for all combinations of senders and receivers. Additionally, the keys must be truly random—so pseudo-random number generators cannot be used safely. For these reasons, OTP has been pushed aside for public key/private key encryption systems.

It is recognized in the trade literature that adopting a “star network” would overcome the problem of connecting every possible combination of sender and receiver in a network. A communication could be sent to a central encryption hub, decrypted, and then re-encrypted and sent to the final recipient. This allows every user of the network to maintain encryption keys with the hub only, and still send secure communications to anyone in the network—without any prior contact. This type of system already exists throughout the public telecom network and Internet, as different transmission protocols encrypt and decrypt data to deliver it between disconnected senders and receivers.

In fact, methodologies for using a hub to administer an OTP network have been described and patented. Till now, these systems have contained two key issues. Systems where the hub brokers the messages, rely on the security of the hub—physically, electronically, and in terms of employee integrity. As the volume of financial and other data moving through such a hub increases, the payoff for a bad actor to compromise it becomes enormous. A hub handling financial transactions for millions of users could have billions or even trillions of dollars of sensitive data at stake—in a single location. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and the practical difficulty of physically securing such a location would be enormous. Additionally, users of the network would by nature be placing their trust in the administrators of the hub, and would be giving up privacy in this regard.

Another critical problem in described hub systems is that encryption keys and or messages are deleted to minimize long term risk of physical breach. Such a protocol could be compromised and replaced by a bad actor, without the knowledge of users or even the administrators. While the deletion protocol was successfully carried out, the system would present a threat to the national security of the United States or other countries. Terrorists would be able to use such a communications network to communicate securely without interception by the military or law enforcement. Since 9/11, western nations have recognized the need to balance personal privacy and protection from hackers, with an ability for governments to track terrorists in extreme situations. It is unlikely that western governments would permit wide scale use of a system that does not maintain that balance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention, referred to herein as “Quantum Lock™,” resides in systems and methodologies for using quantum resistant one-time-pad (OTP) encryption in a way that resolves the critical problems outlined above. The system preserves the required elements of an unbreakable OTP system (under Claude Shannon's math proof), which some described systems in the prior art do not. Additionally, the invention uses a secure network to reconstitute blockchain systems without the use of asymmetric encryption. Extensions of this block chain system are described which enable an entirely new set of applications for protecting privacy, sharing information, performing validations and analysis of data, and creating system actions that are constrained by complex data algorithms.

