0:00:00 > 0:00:04writing and selling malware code.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05Now on BBC News it's time for Click.
0:00:10 > 0:00:13This week, the Sun's the star as it defeats ice cream.
0:00:13 > 0:00:14Powers roads.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18And dazzles geeks.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Take them off guys, you're indoors.
0:00:42 > 0:00:47They're ugly, huge and they ruin the landscape,
0:00:47 > 0:00:52but we do kind of need them to get from A to B.
0:00:52 > 0:01:10But sometimes a road can be more than just a road.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12And that's the idea behind a French government backed initiative
0:01:12 > 0:01:16using the massive space given over to the transport network
0:01:16 > 0:01:18to also capture the Sun through solar roads.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21I mean, look at this road, what's it doing right now?
0:01:21 > 0:01:22It's looking straight up the sky.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26And it's estimated that even busy roads can see the sky
0:01:26 > 0:01:27for 70-90% of the time.
0:01:27 > 0:01:28But it's not all plain... Sunning.
0:01:28 > 0:01:37The problem with putting photovoltaic cells into roads
0:01:37 > 0:01:39is the slightest bit of pressure, the slightest bend, and...
0:01:39 > 0:01:43So the cells are stuck onto slabs and covered with crushed glass
0:01:43 > 0:01:44and a translucent resin.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46At the facility near Versailles, in France, these seven millimetre
0:01:47 > 0:01:49thick panels are being tested for their strength and durability
0:01:49 > 0:01:52so they can withstand heavy traffic as well as ensuring
0:01:52 > 0:01:54that they aren't slippery.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57We have the cell and on each face we added polymer to increase
0:01:57 > 0:02:00the stiffness and the durability of the cells itself.
0:02:00 > 0:02:07So do they bend or are they just, are they resistant to bending?
0:02:07 > 0:02:10Yes, of course they bend, but just a little bit.
0:02:10 > 0:02:11So it resist.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13And they are pretty strong.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17I'm a geek, I can't open a jar let alone bend a piece of road.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19All right, OK, can I smack it on the...?
0:02:19 > 0:02:19LAUGHTER
0:02:19 > 0:02:23Uhhhh... Maybe not!
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Not so in the corner you know?
0:02:25 > 0:02:30The costs though are proving high.
0:02:30 > 0:02:36Although the panels can be laid over existing roads,
0:02:36 > 0:02:38this one-kilometre stretch in Normandy covering 2,800 square
0:02:38 > 0:02:40metres came in at 5 million euros.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43That's an estimated 4-6 times the price of covering the area
0:02:43 > 0:02:44with conventional solar panels.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Currently, yes, of course the cost is quite high.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50The aim is to divide by three the current cost.
0:02:50 > 0:02:56It will be within at least one year.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59After concerning the interest it's really a political approach.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Critics have questions about the viability of panels
0:03:03 > 0:03:06on busy roads and the efficiency of laying panels down flat
0:03:06 > 0:03:07on the road surface.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10The angle or the tilt angle of the panels will also
0:03:10 > 0:03:14influence the efficiency.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17If we have them lying on the floor, on the road,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19then we are influencing the tilt angle.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23One possible advantage of having the panels flat on the ground
0:03:23 > 0:03:27is that in the future they could be used to charge electric vehicles
0:03:27 > 0:03:28as they move along the road.
0:03:28 > 0:03:35And charging vehicles as they move is another idea on the horizon.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39Developed by Qualcomm Technologies, this 100-metre stretch
0:03:39 > 0:03:41of dynamically charging road is also being trialled in Versailles.
0:03:41 > 0:03:50I do like the idea that although the road networks have
0:03:50 > 0:03:52obviously been a major source of the planet's pollution problems,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55they could also be, in the future, one of the solutions
0:03:55 > 0:03:58to the planet's energy crisis.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And with the UK Government phasing out diesel and petrol vehicles,
0:04:02 > 0:04:08renewable transport solutions like this might just be the ticket.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10Stationery induction charging works like wirelessly charged phones,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14producing a magnetic field that's converted to DC power.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Though this technology has been with us for a while, dynamic roads
0:04:17 > 0:04:19are an exciting development.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22How accurately do you have to park this thing so
0:04:22 > 0:04:23the two pads are aligned?
0:04:23 > 0:04:27At the moment we're talking about an area the size
0:04:27 > 0:04:30of about a dinner plate, as long as that's aligned on both
0:04:30 > 0:04:33sides you should be able to send the charge through that.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37You have a line of these on a road and you simply connect them all up
0:04:37 > 0:04:40and that would effectively give you a charging road.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43As long as the car was obviously aligned with that,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46and the technology was all linked and synced up, the car
0:04:46 > 0:04:49could actually charge while it's driving along using exactly the same
0:04:49 > 0:04:49principles and technology.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Critics though worry about the infrastructure costs
0:04:51 > 0:04:52of dynamically charging roads.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Others point to the rapid developments in electric vehicle
0:04:55 > 0:04:58battery capacity that may remove the need for electric cars
0:04:58 > 0:04:59to charge while on the move.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02But if solar roads can be made cheaply enough
0:05:02 > 0:05:04and withstand heavy traffic, this could be one to watch
0:05:04 > 0:05:11in the not too distant future.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14It's not just roads that will be changing in the future,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17the cars that travel on them will be changing to.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20There's a good chance that lots of cars in the future
0:05:20 > 0:05:23will be self driving.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26The technology to allow this is improving all the time.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29Autonomous cars use a suite of sensors to ensure that they drive
0:05:29 > 0:05:32safely and one of the most important is lidar, light
0:05:32 > 0:05:32detection and ranging.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35By bouncing pulses of light from a sensor, the vehicles
0:05:35 > 0:05:38autonomous systems can figure out how far away objects are, allowing
0:05:38 > 0:05:41it to recognise its surroundings and avoid an accident.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Well now one US start-up has gone further, with a system
0:05:44 > 0:05:47that can see further.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49We're starting to look more like a camera image almost.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52In 3-D, rather than just a few points.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55And that's why as I'm zooming around here with this virtual camera,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58we can start to make out objects like people and bikers
0:05:58 > 0:06:10and those types of things.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13You can see the sort of stripes on each object like a topographic
0:06:13 > 0:06:15map of the scene around it.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18The laser pulses reach up to 200 metres by using a 1550 nanometre
0:06:18 > 0:06:21laser, that's far larger than the current standard of 905.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24This means that at high speeds, the Luminar system will be able
0:06:24 > 0:06:26to detect obstacles earlier and reduce the chance
0:06:26 > 0:06:36of an accident.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39What this whole games comes down to in the autonomous vehicle space
0:06:39 > 0:06:41is all about these edge cases that happen.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45It's easy to get an autonomous vehicle to work 99% of the time.
0:06:45 > 0:06:57It's very difficult to get it to work that last 1%.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Those are the cases that we have to be able to take into account
0:07:01 > 0:07:03and make sure we confidently see and understand.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05And autonomous cars today cannot reliably see those
0:07:05 > 0:07:06situations up ahead.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10But while the automotive industry tries to get up to speed on lidar,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12it is being used for other, more portable purposes.
0:07:12 > 0:07:13Here's Marc Cieslak.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15There are lots of different industries which can take advantage
0:07:16 > 0:07:16of lidar technology.
0:07:16 > 0:07:18Industries like architecture and construction are very keen
0:07:18 > 0:07:21to make use of accurate, quickly created 3-D models.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23And the kit is getting smaller all the time.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Wade Sheen is from a US company called Kaarta and they make
0:07:27 > 0:07:27hand-held lidar scanners.
0:07:27 > 0:07:33Wade, how does the kit work?
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Well, the Kaarta system uses a 360 degrees lidar scanner that's
0:07:36 > 0:07:39gathering data in three dimensions, an IMU which detects our motion,
0:07:39 > 0:07:40and an image sensor.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43In combination we know exactly where we are within the environment
0:07:43 > 0:07:46without using any other signals such as GPS or radio signal.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Because we know exactly where we are at all times,
0:07:48 > 0:07:52within millimetres, we are gathering a point cloud, and that point cloud
0:07:52 > 0:07:54can be used by architecture, engineering and construction
0:07:54 > 0:07:57industry for them to build accurate 3-D models of their buildings
0:07:57 > 0:08:00for both in construction, to verify what they are building
0:08:00 > 0:08:04correctly and for older buildings to establish what is already there.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08So can you demonstrate for me now, can you make a model
0:08:08 > 0:08:10of the exterior of the BBC for me?
0:08:10 > 0:08:10Absolutely.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13OK, I'll let you take it away, Wade.
0:08:13 > 0:08:18OK, and now we are building the model.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22The red lines we can see on screen here are harmless laser pulses
0:08:22 > 0:08:25from the scanner bouncing off the surfaces of the buildings.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29The more that Wade walks, the more data he captures.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34And that's all there is to it.
0:08:34 > 0:08:3824 million point cloud dots pack together to make the finished 3-D
0:08:38 > 0:08:42model which is a 100% accurate rendering of the area that is just
0:08:42 > 0:08:49been walked through, made in just two minutes.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51And then we'll start building the point cloud.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56Then we're free to move.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58While this scanner is designed for outdoor use, there
0:08:58 > 0:09:01is a specially adapted version of the same tech used
0:09:01 > 0:09:03for scanning indoors.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06It builds internal 3-D models just as quickly as the person wielding
0:09:06 > 0:09:10it's legs will carry them.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13And while this technology has been designed for industrial use,
0:09:13 > 0:09:18there's a certain beauty to the images it creates.
0:09:18 > 0:09:31Hello and welcome to The Week in Tech.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35It was the week that the script for an unseen episode of Game
0:09:35 > 0:09:38of Thrones, as well as those from other HBO shows, was leaked
0:09:38 > 0:09:44online by a group of hackers.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48An new version of Bitcoin was mined for the first time as the crypto
0:09:48 > 0:09:49currency split into two.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52And the US Navy's launched its first fighter jet powered
0:09:52 > 0:09:52by electromagnetic energy.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54The high-tech, high speed, Hyperloop One has
0:09:54 > 0:10:04completed its first journey.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07A test that propelled this pod through a tube
0:10:07 > 0:10:10in the Nevada desert at 192 mph, edging closer to its eventual aim
0:10:10 > 0:10:13of one day transporting passengers at speeds of up to 650 mph.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Meanwhile a security researcher managed to hack an Amazon Echo,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19making it possible to remotely stream audio from someone's device.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21The attack could only work on pre-2017 versions though,
0:10:21 > 0:10:27and physical access to the Echo is needed first.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32And finally the team behind the hand-held spray
0:10:32 > 0:10:35printer painting device, which we showed you a couple
0:10:35 > 0:10:38of months ago, have developed a robotic version that made it
0:10:38 > 0:10:41possible to paint this giant masterpiece on an abandoned power
0:10:41 > 0:10:43station, using five different colours at once.
0:10:43 > 0:10:48The sky's the limit.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Last week Kate and Dan were in Vegas at the meanest,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02baddest Hackers Expo on the planet.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06Well this week one of those hackers, Scott Helm, has offered to give
0:11:06 > 0:11:10us his view of what goes on in Vegas during one crazy week each year.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13I'm Scott Helm, here to give you a 101 to Black Hat,
0:11:13 > 0:11:22BSides and DEF CON, which all happen during one crazy week in Las Vegas.
0:11:24 > 0:11:28This is a very, very popular course, we've got some of the latest stuff
0:11:28 > 0:11:31that we've found in our own hacking that we do for clients
0:11:31 > 0:11:33and we put it into the class.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37The good guys have got to learn it because the bad guys already do.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40I've embedded some code into the page and then when you load
0:11:40 > 0:11:44the page it puts that message up, that it's not supposed to do.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46It was a nice introductory level course.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48It was a nice introductory level course.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52So obviously this could be used for harm and the flip side of this
0:11:52 > 0:11:56is, if you were setting up to be a cybercriminal would you come
0:11:56 > 0:11:59to a formal conference like this and register to do a training course
0:11:59 > 0:12:00under your name?
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Or would you go and learn how to do this on the dark web somewhere else?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I don't think we would really expect to see criminals coming
0:12:07 > 0:12:10here to learn how to be criminals.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13So we are in the vendor hall right now.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16This is where all the different companies have their stands,
0:12:16 > 0:12:17they can demo their products.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19This represents what they do inside your network,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22in that an attacker now doesn't know where the real target
0:12:22 > 0:12:24is and which one to attack.
0:12:24 > 0:12:25I don't know where to look.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27Tell me if I'm doing it wrong.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28This in the front?
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Hang on, wait a minute...
0:12:30 > 0:12:31One, two, three, go!
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Top three tips?
0:12:33 > 0:12:35We're in the desert, drink plenty of water.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Get a goodie bag and fill it with swag.
0:12:38 > 0:12:39And don't use the Wi-Fi.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48So we've just checked in B-Sides, I have my bag, everyone that attends
0:12:48 > 0:12:51the conference gets a little bag of goodies so we're just
0:12:51 > 0:12:53going to take a look.
0:12:53 > 0:12:55Got a few stickers here, the little Hawaiian necklaces,
0:12:55 > 0:13:02a BSides beach towel.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05It's very corporate, it's very kind of official and formal.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08This is like a much more relaxed setting, it's much more enjoyable.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11The opening key note is taking place just behind me,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14and we're going to go and take a look around the vendors around
0:13:14 > 0:13:16the outside of the chill out room.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Scott, what did you just do?
0:13:18 > 0:13:20So, the Wi-Fi network here is monitored,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23and the screen behind me shows you things that people
0:13:23 > 0:13:25are doing on the network.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28So we managed to just get the BBC Click logo and Rory
0:13:28 > 0:13:29up on the big screen.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31This is a tool called a doppler.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33The whole idea is it's analysing the network,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36and then carving out images real time, and displaying them up
0:13:36 > 0:13:37for everybody to see.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40So anything that anybody is looking at on the network,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42we can see as well.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44I found some friends.
0:13:44 > 0:13:46I found some ex-colleagues of mine from England.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48So which talks are you going to?
0:13:48 > 0:13:50I'm going to the banking on insecurity nets,
0:13:50 > 0:13:51which you are banned from.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55As members of the press.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Yes, so being members of the press at BSides,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00we can't go into the underground track, which is no
0:14:00 > 0:14:01press, no filming.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04Most people don't even use their real names in the schedule,
0:14:04 > 0:14:06and unfortunately we're banned, we can't go in there.
0:14:06 > 0:14:15It's like a party in here.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18I can't hear anything.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20It's a tech conference, it's a hacker conference.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22People often think it might be less sociable,
0:14:22 > 0:14:26but this is where most of us do our networking.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29We're in the middle of filming and somebody has just hacked the PA
0:14:29 > 0:14:30system in the hotel.
0:14:30 > 0:14:40Yes. Thank you.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41We made it, we got one.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Effectively, this badge is like a tiny computer,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47and I can make it do like really cool stuff.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49Flames.
0:14:49 > 0:14:56Yeah, we have come to the chill out zone just to take a little break.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59I bumped into an old work colleague and friend of mine, Andy.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02He's a goon here, at DEF CON this year.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Most people probably won't know what being a goon is, so...
0:15:04 > 0:15:07So being a goon is basically the enforcement of fun.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11So we were walking the corridors earlier today, and we heard some
0:15:11 > 0:15:13numbers being thrown around, in the region of 50-60,000
0:15:13 > 0:15:16attacks a day are launched against the DEF CON network,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19is that accurate?
0:15:19 > 0:15:21It's what you would expect of a hacking conference's network.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24There's no official challenge, but hackers going to hack.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Federal agents attend the Conference dressed in plain clothing.
0:15:26 > 0:15:27There's 30,000 people here.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31It's easy for them to blend in, and there's a running competition
0:15:31 > 0:15:39every year to try and spot and identify federal agents.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42My guesses would be they're looking out for people they may
0:15:42 > 0:15:45need to keep an eye on, and the other side of
0:15:45 > 0:15:46that is talent acquisition.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49So we were watching somebody get their first implant.
0:15:49 > 0:15:59Are you nervous?
0:15:59 > 0:16:00Yes, a little bit.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03I'm kind of wondering, how much it will hurt.
0:16:03 > 0:16:04Oh, that felt weird!
0:16:04 > 0:16:06I am going for the NFC chip.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08I'm going to apply a little bit of pressure.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11It was literally like something poking around inside my hand.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14My front door lock at home, I'm going to replace
0:16:14 > 0:16:17it with an NFC lock, and it will sense the chip in my
0:16:17 > 0:16:19hand and unlock my door for just me.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23When you're at DEF CON, you just never know
0:16:23 > 0:16:25what is going to happen next, it could be a complete surprise.
0:16:33 > 0:16:35Welcome, gentlemen.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37It's through here.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40Scott and I have been exclusively invited for a first
0:16:40 > 0:16:56look at this black box.
0:16:56 > 0:17:08A box allowing anyone to go undercover on the net.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11So what we have created is a VPN and Wi-Fi hotspot
0:17:11 > 0:17:13which is the size of a match box.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17What it also has the ability to do, is mask your location
0:17:17 > 0:17:19and the person you might be communicating with's location.
0:17:19 > 0:17:26Additionally, we have the ability to take this VPN and connect it
0:17:26 > 0:17:28to a server, your laptop, a desktop, a smartphone
0:17:28 > 0:17:37or any IOT device.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40It's so new, the company doesn't even know what they are
0:17:40 > 0:17:42going to call it yet.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45A few days ago, it bought up start up Casala, which makes the box,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48a new version of which Silent will put on sale in
0:17:48 > 0:17:49the next few months.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52There are other boxes like this out there -
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Shellfire, for example, and VPN software for routers, though
0:17:54 > 0:18:12these can be fiddly to set up, but this nameless cube comes
0:18:13 > 0:18:14from a recognised brand.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Silent Circle made its name with the Blackphone,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19the first, it's claimed, to be built with security in mind
0:18:19 > 0:18:21from the ground up and NSA proof.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24The box's launch could be of the moment, as Apple succumbs
0:18:24 > 0:18:26to Chinese Government pressure to withdraw VPN apps
0:18:26 > 0:18:30from its online store last week - the very ones that would allow users
0:18:30 > 0:18:31to circumvent China's great firewall.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34Big claims come with the box, but Silent Circle is being
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Secret Squirrel about how they work.
0:18:36 > 0:18:37What is Government grade encryption, exactly?
0:18:37 > 0:18:38No answer.
0:18:38 > 0:18:40And will its estimated $500 plus price tag be
0:18:40 > 0:18:42justified by the claim it's completely snoop free?
0:18:42 > 0:18:45We have specifically designed a device to not allow anyone
0:18:45 > 0:18:48in the outside world, or our company, to access any
0:18:48 > 0:18:49of the data or box itself.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Our response to any Government inquiry is to push it
0:18:52 > 0:19:01back to the end user.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04After the exclusive reveal to Click, was our security
0:19:04 > 0:19:05man Scott buying in?
0:19:05 > 0:19:08It offers the same level of security as any VPN provider in that
0:19:08 > 0:19:11from you to the VPN end point you are secure.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13As the provider, though, the service provider,
0:19:13 > 0:19:25they have the ability to inspect and monitor your traffic.
0:19:26 > 0:19:26So they do.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28They can intercept it?
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Yes, they are the service provider, they have to be able to see
0:19:31 > 0:19:33the traffic because they're handling it and routing it.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37It would be down to them to choose not to do that and respect
0:19:37 > 0:19:38their customer's privacy.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Which, for a firm like Silent Circle, I think we could have
0:19:41 > 0:19:45faith in them that they wouldn't do that, but at a purely
0:19:45 > 0:19:47technical level that is a capability they have.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51We went back to Silent Circle, which told us that it was able
0:19:51 > 0:19:54to monitor customers' traffic, but added it would only hand over
0:19:54 > 0:19:56data to a government if forced to by law.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59This room is full of people trying to break the encryption
0:19:59 > 0:20:02we rely on every day.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06But in the next 15 years or so, these clever exploits might be
0:20:06 > 0:20:09superseded by a new type of computer that can breakthrough current
0:20:09 > 0:20:11security barriers 100 million times faster than even the fastest
0:20:11 > 0:20:20supercomputer in use today.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23With this new threat comes a new type of encryption that
0:20:23 > 0:20:26using particles of light and makes it impossible for for hackers
0:20:26 > 0:20:31to cover their tracks.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34The Chinese government think this tech is so important,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36it's already testing satellites in orbit.
0:20:36 > 0:20:57During the next three minutes I'm going to explain this futuristic
0:20:57 > 0:20:58technology using ice-cream.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59Because - well, why not?
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Today's computers send data using electricity,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03which can only exist in two states.
0:21:03 > 0:21:04On or off.
0:21:04 > 0:21:04One or zero.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Quantum technology uses quantum bits, or qubits.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09In one form, these can be particles of light,
0:21:09 > 0:21:11smaller than an atom, which, like conventional bits,
0:21:11 > 0:21:18can be a one or a zero, but they can also be both
0:21:18 > 0:21:19at the same time.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23To understand why, you would have to understand quantum physics, and -
0:21:23 > 0:21:36well, good luck with that.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40For the rest of us mere mortals, all we'd to know is because of this
0:21:40 > 0:21:43while a collection of regular bits can represent only a single number
0:21:43 > 0:21:46at one time, the same number of qubits can
0:21:46 > 0:21:46represent many numbers.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48Making them vastly more complex and powerful.
0:21:48 > 0:21:52Another feature of quantum physics is that the mere act of observing
0:21:52 > 0:22:04a particle changes its state.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07And that is the really important thing for cyber security.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10It makes it physically impossible for a hacker to hide the fact
0:22:10 > 0:22:13they have looked at the data, because doing so changes
0:22:13 > 0:22:13it permanently.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17So, if I want to create a secure communications link with Scott,
0:22:17 > 0:22:20I send him a quantum key that only he and I will know.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23I don't need to lock the box I send it in,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25because if someone intercepts it and looks inside,
0:22:25 > 0:22:30its state will change.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33When the key reaches Scott, he will know it's been hacked,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36so we can throw it away, and try again until it
0:22:36 > 0:22:37gets through safely.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41We will then know we have the only two copies of a completely secret
0:22:41 > 0:22:43quantum key, to unlock encrypted messages between us,
0:22:43 > 0:22:54making them incredibly secure.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Until recently quantum communications was limited to hops
0:22:56 > 0:23:00of a couple of kilometres at a time because light signal breaks down
0:23:00 > 0:23:01when travelling great distances through fibre cables.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06Much like I would if I had to walk all the way back to Vegas in this
0:23:06 > 0:23:07heat without taking a break.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10But last month, the Chinese reported successful tests covering 1,200
0:23:10 > 0:23:12kilometre using a dedicated low orbit satellite.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14North America, European, Australia and Japan are other big
0:23:15 > 0:23:16players in the race.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Given the development in the last five years,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21it's impressive to see how much better the systems have got
0:23:21 > 0:23:23and how much more powerful the technologies have become,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26so it's not impossible, in my opinion, we could
0:23:26 > 0:23:29have a quantum computer in the next five to ten, or maybe 20 years.
0:23:29 > 0:23:39It's an exciting advance, and has massive implications
0:23:39 > 0:23:41for securing channels that carry sensitive information,
0:23:41 > 0:23:42like banking or health records.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44It could even revolutionise democracy, as it opens
0:23:45 > 0:23:47the possibility of digital voting, in way that cannot be tampered
0:23:47 > 0:23:48with without someone knowing.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52That's our team in Las Vegas, demystifying some of the darker
0:23:52 > 0:23:55realms of cyber security and the sort of things we might be
0:23:55 > 0:23:56talking about in the coming years.
0:23:56 > 0:23:59And you will find plenty more on hacking, privacy and security
0:23:59 > 0:24:03at our website and on our social media, as part of the BBC's
0:24:03 > 0:24:07cyber hack season.
0:24:07 > 0:24:11You can follow us on Twitter, at BBC Click and Facebook too.
0:24:11 > 0:24:27Thanks for watching and we'll see you soon.
0:24:27 > 0:24:35Thanks for watching and we'll see you soon.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Whatever you have in mind this particular weekend,
0:24:37 > 0:24:41be it some rest for some play or for some, just more work,