Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and Commodity Security Protocols: Introduction and Integration

We present an overview of quantum key distribution (QKD), a secure key exchange method based on the quantum laws of physics rather than computational complexity. We also provide an overview of the two most widely used commodity security protocols, IPsec and TLS. Pursuing a key exchange model, we propose how QKD could be integrated into these security applications. For such a QKD integration we propose a support layer that provides a set of common QKD services between the QKD protocol and the security applicationsComment: 12Page

A novel pseudo-random number generator based on discrete chaotic iterations

Security of information transmitted through the Internet, against passive or active attacks is an international concern. The use of a chaos-based pseudo-random bit sequence to make it unrecognizable by an intruder, is a field of research in full expansion. This mask of useful information by modulation or encryption is a fundamental part of the TLS Internet exchange protocol. In this paper, a new method using discrete chaotic iterations to generate pseudo-random numbers is presented. This pseudo-random number generator has successfully passed the NIST statistical test suite (NIST SP800-22). Security analysis shows its good characteristics. The application for secure image transmission through the Internet is proposed at the end of the paper.Comment: The First International Conference on Evolving Internet:Internet 2009 pp.71--76 http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/INTERNET.2009.1

Transparent code authentication at the processor level

The authors present a lightweight authentication mechanism that verifies the authenticity of code and thereby addresses the virus and malicious code problems at the hardware level eliminating the need for trusted extensions in the operating system. The technique proposed tightly integrates the authentication mechanism into the processor core. The authentication latency is hidden behind the memory access latency, thereby allowing seamless on-the-fly authentication of instructions. In addition, the proposed authentication method supports seamless encryption of code (and static data). Consequently, while providing the software users with assurance for authenticity of programs executing on their hardware, the proposed technique also protects the software manufacturers’ intellectual property through encryption. The performance analysis shows that, under mild assumptions, the presented technique introduces negligible overhead for even moderate cache sizes