52 research outputs found
Quantum key distribution and cryptography: a survey
I will try to partially answer, based on a review on recent work, the following question:
Can QKD and more generally quantum information be useful to cover some practical security requirements in current (and future) IT infrastructures ?
I will in particular cover the following topics
- practical performances of QKD
- QKD network deployment - SECOQC project
- Capabilities of QKD as a cryptographic primitive - comparative advantage with other solution, in order to cover practical security requirements
- Quantum information and Side-channels
- QKD security assurance
- Thoughts about "real" Post-Quantum Cryptograph
Using quantum key distribution for cryptographic purposes: a survey
The appealing feature of quantum key distribution (QKD), from a cryptographic
viewpoint, is the ability to prove the information-theoretic security (ITS) of
the established keys. As a key establishment primitive, QKD however does not
provide a standalone security service in its own: the secret keys established
by QKD are in general then used by a subsequent cryptographic applications for
which the requirements, the context of use and the security properties can
vary. It is therefore important, in the perspective of integrating QKD in
security infrastructures, to analyze how QKD can be combined with other
cryptographic primitives. The purpose of this survey article, which is mostly
centered on European research results, is to contribute to such an analysis. We
first review and compare the properties of the existing key establishment
techniques, QKD being one of them. We then study more specifically two generic
scenarios related to the practical use of QKD in cryptographic infrastructures:
1) using QKD as a key renewal technique for a symmetric cipher over a
point-to-point link; 2) using QKD in a network containing many users with the
objective of offering any-to-any key establishment service. We discuss the
constraints as well as the potential interest of using QKD in these contexts.
We finally give an overview of challenges relative to the development of QKD
technology that also constitute potential avenues for cryptographic research.Comment: Revised version of the SECOQC White Paper. Published in the special
issue on QKD of TCS, Theoretical Computer Science (2014), pp. 62-8
Outline of the SECOQC Quantum-Key-Distribution Network in Vienna
A Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network is currently implemented in Vienna
by integrating seven QKD-Link devices that connect five subsidiaries of SIEMENS
Austria. We give an architectural overview of the network and present the
enabling QKD-technologies, as well as the novel QKD network protocols.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
The Engineering of Software-Defined Quantum Key Distribution Networks
Quantum computers will change the cryptographic panorama. A technology once
believed to lay far away into the future is increasingly closer to real world
applications. Quantum computers will break the algorithms used in our public
key infrastructure and in our key exchange protocols, forcing a complete
retooling of the cryptography as we know it. Quantum Key distribution is a
physical layer technology immune to quantum or classical computational threats.
However, it requires a physical substrate, and optical fiber has been the usual
choice. Most of the time used just as a point to point link for the exclusive
transport of the delicate quantum signals. Its integration in a real-world
shared network has not been attempted so far. Here we show how the new
programmable software network architectures, together with specially designed
quantum systems can be used to produce a network that integrates classical and
quantum communications, including management, in a single, production-level
infrastructure. The network can also incorporate new quantum-safe algorithms
and use the existing security protocols, thus bridging the gap between today's
network security and the quantum-safe network of the future. This can be done
in an evolutionary way, without zero-day migrations and the corresponding
upfront costs. We also present how the technologies have been deployed in
practice using a production network.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, Accepted for publication in the IEEE
Communications Magazine, Future Internet: Architectures and Protocols issu
Quantum key distribution: A networking perspective
The convergence of quantum cryptography with applications used in everyday life is a topic drawing attention from the industrial and academic worlds. The development of quantum electronics has led to the practical achievement of quantum devices that are already available on the market and waiting for their first application on a broader scale. A major aspect of quantum cryptography is the methodology of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), which is used to generate and distribute symmetric cryptographic keys between two geographically separate users using the principles of quantum physics. In previous years, several successful QKD networks have been created to test the implementation and interoperability of different practical solutions. This article surveys previously applied methods, showing techniques for deploying QKD networks and current challenges of QKD networking. Unlike studies focusing on optical channels and optical equipment, this survey focuses on the network aspect by considering network organization, routing and signaling protocols, simulation techniques, and a software-defined QKD networking approach.Web of Science535art. no. 9
- …