As quantum computers threaten traditional encryption, researchers are developing quantum networks to enable ultra-secure communication.
Scientists at Leibniz University Hannover have pioneered a new method using light frequencies to enhance quantum key distribution. This breakthrough reduces complexity, cuts costs, and paves the way for scalable, tap-proof quantum internet infrastructure.
Data security on the internet is under threat: in the future, quantum computers could decode even encrypted files sent over the internet in no time. Researchers worldwide are, therefore, experimenting with quantum networks that will enable a paradigm shift in the future when globally connected to form the quantum internet.
Such systems would be able to guarantee tap-proof communication through quantum mechanical phenomena such as superposition and entanglement, as well as cryptographic quantum protocols. However, the quantum internet is still in its infancy: high costs coupled with high energy consumption and a high level of complexity for the necessary technologies have prevented quantum networks from scaling easily.
Two researchers at the Institute of Photonics at the Leibniz University Hannover want to remedy this situation. Using frequency-bin coding, they have developed a novel method for entanglement-based quantum key distribution. This quantum mechanical encryption technique uses different light frequencies, i.e. colors, to encode the respective quantum states. The method increases security and resource efficiency.
In a groundbreaking use of teleportation, critical units of a quantum processor have been successfully spread across multiple computers, proving the potential of distributing quantum modules without compromising on their performance.
While the transfer only took place over a space of two meters (about six feet) in an Oxford University laboratory, the leap was more than enough to emphasize the feasibility of scaling quantum technology by teleporting quantum states across an ‘internet’ of connected systems.
Teleportation is a quirk of physics that only makes sense through a quantum lens, where objects exist in a blur of possible characteristics until processes of measurement force them to adopt each state.
We’ve yet to see a falling piece of space debris strike an airplane, but if it happens, the consequences would almost certainly be catastrophic – and according to a new study, the danger posed to planes is only rising.
The researchers behind the study, from the University of British Columbia in Canada, looked at worldwide flight data to model the distribution of planes in the sky, then compared this to records of uncontrolled rocket body reentries.
The increasing risk is also being driven in part by the mass deployment of satellites, like SpaceX’s Starlink, which will eventually reenter our airspace.
The rapid advancement of technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT) has heightened the demand for high-speed, energy-efficient memory devices. Traditional memory technologies often struggle to balance performance with power consumption.
Spintronic devices, which leverage electron spin rather than charge, present a promising alternative. In particular, TMD materials are attractive due to their unique electronic properties and potential for miniaturization.
Researchers have proposed the development of gate-controllable TMD spin valves to address these challenges. By integrating a gate mechanism, these devices can modulate spin transport properties, enabling precise control over memory operations. This approach aims to enhance tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) ratios, improve spin current densities, and reduce power consumption during read and write processes. The study is published in the Journal of Alloys and Compounds.
Optical fibers are fundamental components in modern science and technology due to their inherent advantages, providing an efficient and secure medium for applications such as internet communication and big data transmission. Compared with single-mode fibers (SMFs), multimode fibers (MMFs) can support a much larger number of guided modes (~103 to ~104), offering the attractive advantage of high-capacity information and image transportation within the diameter of a hair. This capability has positioned MMFs as a critical tool in fields such as quantum information and micro-endoscopy.
However, MMFs pose a significant challenge: their highly scattering nature introduces severe modal dispersion during transmission, which significantly degrades the quality of transmitted information. Existing technologies, such as artificial neural networks (ANNs) and spatial light modulators (SLMs), have achieved limited success in reconstructing distorted images after MMF transmission. Despite these advancements, the direct optical transmission of undistorted images through MMFs using micron-scale integrated optical components has remained an elusive goal in optical research.
Addressing the longstanding challenges of multi-mode fiber (MMF) transmission, the research team led by Prof. Qiming Zhang and Associate Prof. Haoyi Yu from the School of Artificial Intelligence Science and Technology (SAIST) at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST) has introduced a groundbreaking solution. The study is published in the journal Nature Photonics.
The aim of the following paper was to overview the body-composition-related changes and molecular effects of different chemotherapy agents used in cancer treatment on skeletal-muscle remodeling.
— Pedrosa, et al.
Full text is available
Paraneoplastic conditions such as cancer cachexia are often exacerbated by chemotherapy, which affects the patient’s quality of life as well as the response to therapy. The aim of this narrative review was to overview the body-composition-related changes and molecular effects of different chemotherapy agents used in cancer treatment on skeletal-muscle remodeling. A literature search was performed using the Web of Science, Scopus, and Science Direct databases and a total of 77 papers was retrieved. In general, the literature survey showed that the molecular changes induced by chemotherapy in skeletal muscle have been studied mainly in animal models and mostly in non-tumor-bearing rodents, whereas clinical studies have essentially assessed changes in body composition by computerized tomography.
In the incident analyzed by the Canadian cybersecurity company, the initial access was gained to a targeted endpoint via a vulnerable SimpleHelp RMM instance (“194.76.227[.]171”) located in Estonia.
Upon establishing a remote connection, the threat actor has been observed performing a series of post-exploitation actions, including reconnaissance and discovery operations, as well as creating an administrator account named “sqladmin” to facilitate the deployment of the open-source Sliver framework.
The persistence offered by Sliver was subsequently abused to move laterally across the network, establishing a connection between the domain controller (DC) and the vulnerable SimpleHelp RMM client and ultimately installing a Cloudflare tunnel to stealthily route traffic to servers under the attacker’s control through the web infrastructure company’s infrastructure.
A 7-Zip vulnerability allowing attackers to bypass the Mark of the Web (MotW) Windows security feature was exploited by Russian hackers as a zero-day since September 2024.
According to Trend Micro researchers, the flaw was used in SmokeLoader malware campaigns targeting the Ukrainian government and private organizations in the country.
The Mark of the Web is a Windows security feature designed to warn users that the file they’re about to execute comes from untrusted sources, requesting a confirmation step via an additional prompt. Bypassing MoTW allows malicious files to run on the victim’s machine without a warning.