3 research outputs found
Quantum key distribution with post-processing driven by physical unclonable functions
Quantum key-distribution protocols allow two honest distant parties to
establish a common truly random secret key in the presence of powerful
adversaries, provided that the two users share beforehand a short secret key.
This pre-shared secret key is used mainly for authentication purposes in the
post-processing of classical data that have been obtained during the quantum
communication stage, and it prevents a man-in-the-middle attack. The necessity
of a pre-shared key is usually considered as the main drawback of quantum
key-distribution protocols, which becomes even stronger for large networks
involving more that two users. Here we discuss the conditions under which
physical unclonable function can be integrated in currently available quantum
key-distribution systems, in order to facilitate the generation and the
distribution of the necessary pre-shared key, with the smallest possible cost
in the security of the systems. Moreover, the integration of physical
unclonable functions in quantum key-distribution networks allows for real-time
authentication of the devices that are connected to the network