Physicists from research groups at the University of Stuttgart, Saarbrücken, and Dresden conducting an experiment on quantum teleportation (left to right: Tobias Bauer, Marlon Schäfer, Caspar Hopfmann, Stefan Kazmaier, Tim Strobel, Simone Luca Portalupi). Credit: Julian Maisch
Everyday life on the internet is insecure. Hackers can break into bank accounts or steal digital identities. Driven by AI, attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Quantum cryptography promises more effective protection. It makes communication secure against eavesdropping by relying on the laws of quantum physics. However, the path toward a quantum internet is still fraught with technical hurdles.
Researchers at the Institute of Semiconductor Optics and Functional Interfaces (IHFG) at the University of Stuttgart have now made a decisive breakthrough in one of the most technically challenging components, the quantum repeater. They report their results in Nature Communications.
Nanometer-sized semiconductor islands for information transfer
“For the first time worldwide, we have succeeded in transferring quantum information among photons originating from two different quantum dots,” says Prof. Peter Michler, head of the IHFG and deputy spokesperson for the Quantenrepeater.Net (QR.N) research project.
What is the background? Whether WhatsApp or video stream, every digital message consists of zeros and ones. Similarly, this also applies to quantum communication, in which individual light particles serve as carriers of information.
Zero or one is then encoded in two different directions of polarization of the photons (i.e., their orientation in the horizontal and vertical directions or in a superposition of both states). Because photons follow the laws of quantum mechanics, their polarization cannot always be completely read out without leaving traces. Any attempt to intercept the transmission would inevitably be detected.
Making the quantum internet ready for the fiber-optic infrastructure
Another challenge: An affordable quantum internet would use optical fibers—just like today’s internet. However, light has only a limited range. Conventional light signals, therefore, need to be renewed approximately every 50 kilometers using an optical amplifier.
Because quantum information cannot simply be amplified or copied and forwarded, this does not work in the quantum internet. However, quantum physics allows information to be transferred from one photon to another as long as the information stays unknown. This process is referred to as quantum teleportation.
Quantum repeaters as nodes for information transmission
Building on this, physicists are developing quantum repeaters that renew quantum information before it is absorbed in the optical fiber. They are to serve as nodes for the quantum internet. However, there are considerable technical hurdles. To transmit quantum information via teleportation, the photons must be indistinguishable (i.e., they must have approximately the same temporal profile and color). This proves extremely difficult because they are generated at different locations from different sources.
“Light quanta from different quantum dots have never been teleported before because it is so challenging,” says Tim Strobel, scientist at the IHFG and first author of the study. As part of QR.N, his team has developed semiconductor light sources that generate almost identical photons.
“In these semiconductor islands, certain fixed energy levels are present, just like in an atom,” says Strobel. This allows individual photons with defined properties to be generated at the push of a button.
“Our partners at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research in Dresden have developed quantum dots that differ only minimally,” says Strobel. This means that almost identical photons can be generated at two locations.
Information is ‘beamed’ from one photon to another
At the University of Stuttgart, the team succeeded in teleporting the polarization state of a photon originating from one quantum dot to another photon from a second quantum dot. One quantum dot generates a single photon, the other an entangled photon pair.
Entangled means that the two particles constitute a single quantum entity, even when they are physically separated. One of the two particles travels to the second quantum dot and interferes with its light particle. The two overlap. Because of this superposition, the information of the single photon is transferred to the distant partner of the pair.
Instrumental for the success of the experiment were quantum frequency converters, which compensate for residual frequency differences between the photons. These converters were developed by a team led by Prof. Christoph Becher, an expert in quantum optics at Saarland University.
Improvements for reaching considerably greater distances
“Transferring quantum information between photons from different quantum dots is a crucial step toward bridging greater distances,” says Michler.
In the Stuttgart experiment, the quantum dots were separated only by an optical fiber of about 10 m length. “But we are working on achieving considerably greater distances,” says Strobel.
In earlier work, the team had shown that the entanglement of the quantum dot photons remains intact even after a 36-kilometer transmission through the city center of Stuttgart. Another aim is to increase the current success rate of teleportation, which currently stands at just over 70%. Fluctuations in the quantum dot still lead to slight differences in the photons.
“We want to reduce this by advancing semiconductor fabrication techniques,” says Strobel.
“Achieving this experiment has been a long-standing ambition — these results reflect years of scientific dedication and progress,” says Dr. Simone Luca Portalupi, group leader at the IHFG and one of the study coordinators. “It’s exciting to see how experiments focused on fundamental research are taking their first steps toward practical applications.”
Researchers at Google’s Threat Intelligence Group (GTIG) have discovered that hackers are creating malware that can harness the power of large language models (LLMs) to rewrite itself on the fly.
An experimental malware family dubbed PROMPTFLUX, identified by GTIG in a recent blog post, can rewrite its own code to avoid detection.
It’s an escalation that could make future malware far more difficult to detect, further highlighting growing cybersecurity concerns brought on by the advent and widespread adoption of generative AI.
Tools like PROMPTFLUX “dynamically generate malicious scripts, obfuscate their own code to evade detection, and leverage AI models to create malicious functions on demand, rather than hard-coding them into the malware,” GTIG wrote.
According to the tech giant, this new “just-in-time” approach “represents a significant step toward more autonomous and adaptive malware.”
PROMPTFLUX is a Trojan horse malware that interacts with Google’s Gemini AI model’s application programming interface (API) to learn how to modify itself to avoid detection on the fly.
“Further examination of PROMPTFLUX samples suggests this code family is currently in a development or testing phase since some incomplete features are commented out and a mechanism exists to limit the malware’s Gemini API calls,” the group wrote.
Fortunately, the exploit has yet to be observed infecting machines in the wild, as the “current state of this malware does not demonstrate an ability to compromise a victim network or device,” Google noted. “We have taken action to disable the assets associated with this activity.”
Nonetheless, GTIG noted that malware like PROMPTFLUX appears to be “associated with financially motivated actors.” The team warned of a maturing “underground marketplace for illicit AI tools,” which could lower the “barrier to entry for less sophisticated actors.”
The threat of adversaries leveraging AI tools is very real. According to Google, “State-sponsored actors from North Korea, Iran, and the People’s Republic of China” are already tinkering with the AI to enhance their operations.
In response to the threat, GTIG introduced a new conceptual framework aimed at securing AI systems.
While generative AI can be used to create almost impossible-to-detect malware, it can be used for good as well. For instance, Google recently introduced an AI agent, dubbed Big Sleep, which is designed to use AI to identify security vulnerabilities in software.
In other words, it’s AI being pitted against AI in a cybersecurity war that’s evolving rapidly.
One of the things that got me down was last Thursday the car died as I was driving home. The car had been acting up and we were planing to have it checked when Ron got paid. The car did not give us that time. I was lucky in that when it died I was able to coast on to a side street that was safer and better than being on the main road. But there is bad news. Remember when the Ford dealership told us we would need a new engine for $10 grand, well they were premature but it may come to that.
What the mechanic told us is that the timing chain broke. There are three sprockets. The bad news is it is not just the timing chain that went. I don’t understand it but because of what the top three sprockets do somehow that made the pistons and values all crash into each other. That means engine seized. It is going to be an expensive fix.
Now for the worse news. The guy that came and who has fixed our car before can’t fix it. Because the way they get to the engine is they unbolt it and then raise the body with a car lift. He doesn’t have one. So he is looking around to find out who can fix it. We have no clue as to what it will cost. So that is one thing getting me down. Best wishes for everyone and hugs to those that want them. Hugs
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump meets with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had an internet connection that bypassed the Pentagon’s security protocols set up in his office to use the Signal messaging app on a personal computer, two people familiar with the line told The Associated Press.
The existence of the unsecured internet connection is the latest revelation about Hegseth’s use of the unclassified app and raises the possibility that sensitive defense information could have been put at risk of potential hacking or surveillance.
Known as a “dirty” internet line by the IT industry, it connects directly to the public internet where the user’s information and the websites accessed do not have the same security filters or protocols that the Pentagon’s secured connections maintain.
Other Pentagon offices have used them, particularly if there’s a need to monitor information or websites that would otherwise be blocked.
But the biggest advantage of using such a line is that the user would not show up as one of the many IP addresses assigned to the Defense Department — essentially the user is masked, according to a senior U.S. official familiar with military network security.
But it also can expose users to hacking and surveillance. A “dirty” line — just like any public internet connection — also may lack the recordkeeping compliance required by federal law, the official said.
All three spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.
A ‘dirty’ internet line to use Signal
The two people familiar with the line said Hegseth had it set up in his office to use the Signal app, which has become a flashpoint following revelations that he posted sensitive details about a military airstrike in two chats that each had more than a dozen people. One of the chats included his wife and brother, while the other included President Donald Trump’s top national security officials.
Asked about Hegseth’s use of Signal in his office, which was first reported by The Washington Post, chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the defense secretary’s “use of communications systems and channels is classified.”
“However, we can confirm that the Secretary has never used and does not currently use Signal on his government computer,” Parnell said in a statement.
Trump and other administration officials have given Hegseth their full support. They have blamed employees they say were disgruntled for leaking information to journalists, with Trump saying this week: “It’s just fake news. They just bring up stories.”
“I have 100% confidence in the secretary,” Vice President JD Vance told reporters Wednesday about Hegseth. ”I know the president does and, really, the entire team does.”
Secure ways to communicate at the Pentagon
The Pentagon has a variety of secure ways that enable Hegseth and other military leaders to communicate:
— The Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network can handle the lowest levels of sensitive information. It allows some access to the internet but is firewalled and has levels of cybersecurity that a “dirty” line does not. It cannot handle information labeled as secret.
— The Secure Internet Protocol Router Network is used for secret-level classified information.
— The Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System is for top-secret and secret compartmentalized information, which is some of the highest levels of secrecy, also known as TS/SCI.
Hegseth initially was going to the back area of his office where he could access Wi-Fi to use his devices, one of the people familiar said, and then he requested a line at his desk where he could use his own computer.
That meant at times there were three computers around his desk — a personal computer; another for classified information; and a third for sensitive defense information, both people said.
Because electronic devices are vulnerable to spying, no one is supposed to have them inside the defense secretary’s office. Important offices at the Pentagon have a cabinet or drawer where staff or visitors are required to leave devices.
While Signal offers more protections than standard text messaging, it’s no guarantee of security. Officials also must ensure their hardware and connections are secure, said Theresa Payton, White House chief information officer under President George W. Bush and now CEO of Fortalice Solutions, a cybersecurity firm.
The communications of senior government officials are of keen interest to adversaries like Russia or China, Payton said.
The National Security Agency issued a warning earlier this year about concerns that foreign hackers could try to target government officials using Signal. Google also advised caution about Russia-aligned hackers targeting Signal users.
Hegseth’s Signal use is under investigation by the Defense Department’s acting inspector general at the request of the bipartisan leadership of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Hegseth pulled the information about the strike on Yemen’s Houthi militants last month from a secure communications channel used by U.S. Central Command. He has vehemently denied he posted “war plans” or classified information.
But the information Hegseth did post in chats — exact launch times and bomb drop times — would have been classified and could have put service members at risk, multiple current and former military and defense officials have said. The airstrike information was sent before the pilots had launched or safely returned from their mission.
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AP reporter David Klepper in Washington contributed to this report.
Copp covers the Pentagon and national security for the Associated Press. She has reported from Afghanistan, Iraq, throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
As most who follow my blog might remember I have two computer systems two monitors, and two speaker set ups … you get the idea. I use one for watching videos / movies which I call the video computer and the other I use to blog, look up stuff, and I call that one the blogging computer. The system works for me.
A month or more ago I was having trouble restarting the XPS blogging computer that I bought in 2016. I found a workaround by using the reset / testing button on the power supply and using the start button. However that is no longer working. Why knowing this did you shut the computer down in the first place I hear people asking? I had an important program that just refused suddenly to work. It let me move the keyboard and mouse between computers with complete easy by simply going to the edge of one monitor to move it to the other. The problem was the program suddenly claimed that it couldn’t see another computer on the network. I tried everything I could think of including reinstalling the program, restarting the router, uninstalling the either net connections, unplugging and plugging the cables. I tried the restart 3 times with each computer. The only thing I could think of is I had a radical handshake that the only way to cure was to turn off the computers, then restart them. I figured I could use the workaround with the power supply to start that computer. It failed. The power supply won’t stay on long enough for the bios to hand the start up to the hard drive.
Why is this an issue. I was able to move all the open tabs from one computer to the other computer via Vivaldi, a browser that Barry told me about and I strongly recommend. The program allows you to set up a session memory for however many days you wish. I have mine set for three days. So after the blogging computer wouldn’t start I could go into the synced cloud of my devices and move all the windows with all the tabs into the video computer. Unfortunately it is stressing it out badly.
However what I couldn’t move is the video files I had just done this morning. I finally figured out two different programs to record the videos that look and sound great. I did two this morning to go with posts I set up two days ago. I can’t get to those videos files. I could if I take the C drive out of that computer and plug it into a very inexpensive device I bought that allows me to plug all the different kinds of drive into it up to three at a time and read them all. But I won’t do that because I found a replacement power supply that will be here tomorrow. But I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, and Wednesday Ron and I were going to go shopping, and again Friday I have another doctor’s appointment. Told everyone I have some real health issues.
I had made and was uploading what I think were really great videos. I finally got the programs to work. They were uploading to go with the four posts I had ready to go. They were short, sweet, and looked / sound good. I can still post the posts without the videos. Which I will now do. But I am frustrated. But these computers are 9 years old. Ron and I talked about it. To get me the computers I need to do the work I do would take at least $1,800.00 times two. But if it comes to that we will do it. But my next computers will be at least an Intel 8 chip, the highest ram architecture possible I can afford, and as I learned that in the modern age higher ram makes a huge difference now in how a computer operates. In my days when first learning about computers ram and memory were much less important than the processor speed. I have found out with my own computers the one with a slower processor works far better / faster with a huge memory boost than the one with the bigger processor but locked into a far smaller memory.
So we put the computer on the counter and opened it up. Then we copied all the power supply specs and plugged that into Dell the manufacturer. They no longer have that part available which I already suspected when I went to my Dell page with my products and when I clicked on parts it offered me only three cables. Useless. But Amazon had the power supply I needed. It was not that expensive, fit the chassis and had the same power in / out rating. Plus it could be here tomorrow. So I won’t lose the computer, and will still be able to upload the new videos somewhat late. Ron chided me for know the power supply was failing and not ordering the replacement. I was trying to save money. It will be all good. Thanks for reading. Hugs
Before I post the video, let me tell you all what is going on. My health first. I am very tired only wanting to lay in bed, sleeping or just laying there. At first I thought it was a depression thing, but when my blood work showed I was again anemic that may explain some. All I want to do when up is watch videos and I struggle to read news or do other tasks, feeling like every movement is too much and just wanting to sit here un moving. The second issue I have is I recently expanded the memory of my oldest computer, a built I like better because it is expandable. Pride go before the fall. I felt I understood the motherboard well enough and the system architecture to simple look for and buy the cheapest priced ram the system could handle.
I am humbled to admit I got my butt handed to me as after installing the cheapest four sticks equaling 64 GB of ram which is the max the system can handle I dumped and started the computer. Yes it seems all four sticks and ran at the higher speed. Grand. But then as I loaded Windows and other programs … problems happened. I got almost everything done and then had sudden BOD … the blue screen of death that I have not seen in my own systems ever. I diligently tracked every error, researched every error code and security event. What I got made me realize I had not done enough work understanding my system and the unbuffered ram.
I could make this a post on the system and what I learned. Going cheapest for me is going to cost me. I need to go back to a two stick mode with buffered memory. The reason is that the CPU can see the dual channel two stick configuration as one big stick. With four it has to run through the memory controller system to read each stick as a separate entity and compare try to manage the flow and errors of each. When the errors become too great or do an act that the system deems threatening, it shuts everything down. So I am going to spend more money on a new set of buffered 2 stick memory which should solve this issue and I can get back to being online with everyone and not spending weeks of every online time searching for and reading tech pages and specs reports. Now to the video. Love and hugs to all. Hugs
Scottie's Playtime 