Search Results (36)

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers a revolutionary approach to secure communication, leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics to generate and distribute cryptographic keys that are immune to eavesdropping. As QKD systems become more widely adopted, the need for robust monitoring and management solutions has become increasingly crucial. The Cerberis3 QKD system from ID Quantique addresses this challenge by providing a comprehensive monitoring and visualization platform. The system’s advanced features, including central configuration, SNMP integration, and the graphical visualization of key performance metrics, enable network administrators to ensure their QKD infrastructure’s reliable and secure operation. Monitoring critical parameters such as Quantum Bit Error Rate (QBER), secret key rate, and link visibility is essential for maintaining the integrity of the quantum channel and optimizing the system’s performance. The Cerberis3 system’s ability to interface with encryption vendors and support complex network topologies further enhances its versatility and integration capabilities. By addressing the unique challenges of quantum monitoring, the Cerberis3 system empowers organizations to leverage the power of QKD technology, ensuring the security of their data in the face of emerging quantum computing threats. This article explores the Cerberus3 system’s features and its role in overcoming the monitoring challenges inherent to QKD deployments. Full article

Quantum computers have the potential to break the public-key cryptosystems widely used in key exchange and digital signature applications. To address this issue, quantum key distribution (QKD) offers a robust countermeasure against quantum computer attacks. Among various QKD schemes, BB84 is the most widely used and studied. However, BB84 implementations are inherently imperfect, resulting in quantum bit error rates (QBERs) even in the absence of eavesdroppers. Distinguishing between QBERs caused by eavesdropping and QBERs due to channel imperfections is fundamentally infeasible. In this context, this paper proposes and examines a practical method for detecting eavesdropping via partial intercept-and-resend attacks in the BB84 protocol. A key feature of the proposed method is its consideration of quantum system noise. The efficacy of this method is assessed by employing the Quantum Solver library in conjunction with backend simulators inspired by real quantum machines that model quantum system noise. The simulation outcomes demonstrate the method’s capacity to accurately estimate the eavesdropper’s interception density in the presence of system noise. Moreover, the results indicate that the estimation accuracy of the eavesdropper’s interception density in the presence of system noise is dependent on both the actual interception density value and the key length. Full article

Satellite-based QKD is currently being developed to revolutionize global cryptographic key exchange by facilitating secure communication among remote parties at a global scale. By overcoming the exponential loss of fiber transmission, satellite-to-Earth communication can seamlessly interconnect vast distances as the link budget of such links is sufficient to support QKD links. In terms of this direction, DV-QKD implementations seems to be technologically ahead since key exchange has been experimentally demonstrated to perform much more efficiently by providing key rates that are orders of magnitude higher compared to entanglement-based key exchange. However, the specific requirements to support effectively functional DV-QKD satellite-to-ground links are yet to be defined. This work attempts to define the satellite and ground segment system requirements needed in order to achieve functional QKD service for various satellites orbits (LEO, MEO, and GEO). Finite key size effects are being considered to determine the minimum block sizes that are required for secure key generation between a satellite node and a ground terminal for a single satellite pass. The atmospheric link channel is modeled with consideration of the most important degradation effects such as turbulence and atmospheric and pointing loss. Critical Tx and Rx system parameters, such as the source’s intrinsic Quantum Bit Error Rate (iQBER), the Rx telescope aperture size, and detection efficiency, were investigated in order to define the minimum requirements to establish an operation satellite-to-ground QKD link under specific assumptions. The performance of each downlink scenario was evaluated for the wavelength of 1550 nm in terms of link availability, link budget, and in the distilling of secure key volumes over time. Finally, the feasibility and requirements for distributing the collected space photons via terrestrial telecom fibers was also studied and discussed, leading to the proposal of a more futuristic WDM-enabled satellite QKD architecture. This comprehensive analysis aims to contribute to the advancement and implementation of effective satellite-based QKD systems, which can further exploit the ground fiber segment to realize converged space/terrestrial QKD networks. Full article

This study introduces a novel approach to bolstering quantum key distribution (QKD) security by implementing swift classical channel authentication within the SARG04 and BB84 protocols. We propose mono-authentication, a pioneering paradigm employing quantum-resistant signature algorithms—specifically, CRYSTALS-DILITHIUM and RAINBOW—to authenticate solely at the conclusion of communication. Our numerical analysis comprehensively examines the performance of these algorithms across various block sizes (128, 192, and 256 bits) in both block-based and continuous photon transmission scenarios. Through 100 iterations of simulations, we meticulously assess the impact of noise levels on authentication efficacy. Our results notably highlight CRYSTALS-DILITHIUM’s consistent outperformance of RAINBOW, with signature overheads of approximately 0.5% for the QKD-BB84 protocol and 0.4% for the QKD-SARG04 one, when the quantum bit error rate (QBER) is augmented up to 8%. Moreover, our study unveils a correlation between higher security levels and increased authentication times, with CRYSTALS-DILITHIUM maintaining superior efficiency across all key rates up to 10,000 kb/s. These findings underscore the substantial cost and complexity reduction achieved by mono-authentication, particularly in noisy environments, paving the way for more resilient and efficient quantum communication systems. Full article

An effective post-processing algorithm is essential for achieving high rates of secret key generation in quantum key distribution. This work introduces an approach to quantum key distribution post-processing by integrating the three main steps into a unified procedure: syndrome-based error estimation, rate-adaptive reconciliation, and subblock confirmation. The proposed scheme employs low-density parity-check codes to estimate the quantum bit error rate using the syndrome information, and to optimize the channel coding rates based on the Slepian–Wolf coding scheme for the rate-adaptive method. Additionally, this scheme incorporates polynomial-based hash verification in the subblock confirmation process. The numerical results show that the syndrome-based estimation significantly enhances the accuracy and consistency of the estimated quantum bit error rate, enabling effective code rate optimization for rate-adaptive reconciliation. The unified approach, which integrates rate-adaptive reconciliation with syndrome-based estimation and subblock confirmation, exhibits superior efficiency, minimizes practical information leakage, reduces communication rounds, and guarantees convergence to the identical key. Furthermore, the simulations indicate that the secret key throughput of this approach achieves the theoretical limit in the context of a BB84 quantum key distribution system. Full article

The future quantum internet will leverage existing communication infrastructures, including deployed optical fibre networks, to enable novel applications that outperform current information technology. In this scenario, we perform a feasibility study of quantum communications over an industrial 224 km submarine optical fibre link deployed between Southport in the United Kingdom (UK) and Portrane in the Republic of Ireland (IE). With a characterisation of phase drift, polarisation stability and the arrival time of entangled photons, we demonstrate the suitability of the link to enable international UK–IE quantum communications for the first time. Full article

Quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) offers a practical way to realize a quantum network which can transmit information securely and reliably. Practical quantum networks are hindered by the unavailability of quantum relays. To overcome this limitation, a proposal has been made to transmit the messages encrypted with classical cryptography, such as post-quantum algorithms, between intermediate nodes of the network, where encrypted messages in quantum states are read out in classical bits, and sent to the next node using QSDC. In this paper, we report a real-time demonstration of a computationally secure relay for a quantum secure direct communication network. We have chosen CRYSTALS-KYBER which has been standardized by the National Institute of Standards and Technology to encrypt the messages for transmission of the QSDC system. The quantum bit error rate of the relay system is typically below the security threshold. Our relay can support a QSDC communication rate of 2.5 kb/s within a 4 ms time delay. The experimental demonstration shows the feasibility of constructing a large-scale quantum network in the near future. Full article

Quantum computation offers unique properties that cannot be paralleled by conventional computers. In particular, reading qubits may change their state and thus signal the presence of an intruder. This paper develops a proof-of-concept for a quantum honeypot that allows the detection of intruders on reading. The idea is to place quantum sentinels within all resources offered within the honeypot. Additional to classical honeypots, honeypots with quantum sentinels can trace the reading activity of the intruder within any resource. Sentinels can be set to be either visible and accessible to the intruder or hidden and unknown to intruders. Catching the intruder using quantum sentinels has a low theoretical probability per sentinel, but the probability can be increased arbitrarily higher by adding more sentinels. The main contributions of this paper are that the monitoring of the intruder can be carried out at the level of the information unit, such as the bit, and quantum monitoring activity is fully hidden from the intruder. Practical experiments, as performed in this research, show that the error rate of quantum computers has to be considerably reduced before implementations of this concept are feasible. Full article

Quantum communication systems are susceptible to various perturbations and drifts arising from the operational environment, with phase drift being a crucial challenge. In this paper, we propose an efficient real-time phase drift compensation scheme in which only existing data from the quantum communication process is used to establish a stable closed-loop control subsystem for phase tracking. This scheme ensures the continuous operation of transmission by tracking and compensating for phase drift in the phase-encoding quantum communication system. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed scheme with an average quantum bit error rate of $1.60$% and a standard deviation of $0.0583$% for 16 h of continuous operation. Full article

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has been widely recognized as a promising technology to improve the transmission capacity of wireless optical communication systems. NOMA considers the principle of successive interference cancellation (SIC) to separate a user’s signal at the receiver side. To improve the ability of optical signal detection, we developed a quantum dot (QD) fluorescent concentrator incorporated with multiple-input and single-output (MISO) to realize an uplink NOMA-based optical wireless system. However, inaccurate interference assessment of multiple users using the SIC detection algorithm at the receiver side may lead to more prominent error propagation problems and affect the bit error rate (BER) performance of the system. This research aims to propose a novel recurrent neural network-based guided frequency interference coefficient estimation algorithm in a NOMA visible light communication (VLC) system. This algorithm can improve the accuracy of interference estimation compared with the traditional SIC detection algorithm by introducing interference coefficients. It provides a more accurate reconstruction possibility for level-by-level interference cancellation and weakens the influence of error propagation. In addition, we designed uplink and downlink NOMA-VLC communication systems for experimental validation. When the power allocation ratio was in the range of 0.8 to 0.97, the experimental results of the downlink validated that the BER performance of both users satisfied the forward error correction (FEC) limit with the least squares (LS)-SIC and the long short-term memory recurrent neural networks (LSTM)-SIC detection strategy. Moreover, the BER performance of the LSTM-SIC algorithm was better than that of the LS-SIC algorithm for all users when the power allocation ratio was in the range of 0.92 to 0.93. In particular, our proposed system offered a large detection area of 2 cm² and corresponding aggregate data rate up to 40 Mbps over 1.5 m of free space by using QDs, and we successfully achieved a mean bit error rate (BER) of 2.3 × 10⁻³ for the two users. Full article

Polarization encoding is a promising approach for practical quantum key distribution (QKD) systems due to its simple encoding and decoding methodology. In this study, we propose a self-compensating polarization encoder (SCPE) based on a phase modulator, which can be composed of commercial off-the-shelf (COT) devices. We conducted a proof-of-concept experiment to test the SCPE, which demonstrated an in-system quantum bit error rate (QBER) of 0.53% and long-term running stability without any active adjustments. Additionally, we conducted experiments with transmission over commercial fiber spools of lengths up to 100 km and obtained a secure finite key rate of 3 kbps. Our polarization encoder is a promising solution for various polarization encoding protocols, including BB84, MDI, and RFI. Full article

In this work, we introduce a new method for the establishment of a symmetric secret key through the reconciliation process in QKD systems that, we claim, is immune to the error rate of the quantum channel and, therefore, has an efficiency of 100% since it does not present losses during the distillation of secret keys. Furthermore, the secret rate is scaled to the square of the number of pulses on the destination side. The method only requires a single data exchange from Bob over the classic channel. We affirmed that our results constitute a milestone in the field of QKD and error correction methods at a crucial moment in the development of classical and quantum cryptanalytic algorithms. We believe that the properties of our method can be evaluated directly since it does not require the use of complex formal-theoretical techniques. For this purpose, we provide a detailed description of the reconciliation algorithm. The strength of the method against PNS and IR attacks is discussed. Furthermore, we define a method to analyze the security of the reconciliation approach based on frames that are binary arrays of $2\times 2$. As a result, we came to the conclusion that the conjugate approach can no longer be considered secure, while we came up with a way to increase the secret gain of the method with measured bits. Full article

A quantum noise stream cipher (QNSC) is a physical layer encryption technology based on quantum noise. Bit error rate loopback measurement (BER-LM) is a method to measure the BER of a loopback channel and extract channel characteristics. Then, channel characteristics can be extracted, and consensus keys can be obtained through negotiation. In previous studies, encryption and key distribution were implemented in independent channels. In this paper, we propose a scheme that combines these two technologies in a single fiber channel to achieve encrypted transmission and key distribution. We verified a 20 Gbps QPSK coherent optical transmission system with a PSK/QNSC scheme. The results show that by reasonably setting the negotiation bit position, the consensus key could be obtained through negotiation, and the requirements of transmission performance could be met. When the negotiation bit position was set to seven, the Q-factor of the system was nine, which met the error-free condition of the 7% forward error correction (FEC) limit. Full article

The security analysis of the Ekert 1991 (E91), Bennett 1992 (B92), six-state protocol, Scarani–Acín–Ribordy–Gisin 2004 (SARG04) quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, and their variants have been studied in the presence of collective-rotation noise channels. However, besides the Bennett–Brassard 1984 (BB84) being the first proposed, extensively studied, and essential protocol, its security proof under collective-rotation noise is still missing. Thus, we aim to close this gap in the literature. Consequently, we investigate how collective-rotation noise channels affect the security of the BB84 protocol. Mainly, we study scenarios where the eavesdropper, Eve, conducts an intercept-resend attack on the transmitted photons sent via a quantum communication channel shared by Alice and Bob. Notably, we distinguish the impact of collective-rotation noise and that of the eavesdropper. To achieve this, we provide rigorous, yet straightforward numerical calculations. First, we derive a model for the collective-rotation noise for the BB84 protocol and parametrize the mutual information shared between Alice and Eve. This is followed by deriving the quantum bit error rate (QBER) for two intercept-resend attack scenarios. In particular, we demonstrate that, for small rotation angles, one can extract a secure secret key under a collective-rotation noise channel when there is no eavesdropping. We observe that noise induced by rotation of 0.35 radians of the prepared quantum state results in a QBER of 11%, which corresponds to the lower bound on the tolerable error rate for the BB84 QKD protocol against general attacks. Moreover, a rotational angle of 0.53 radians yields a 25% QBER, which corresponds to the error rate bound due to the intercept-resend attack. Finally, we conclude that the BB84 protocol is robust against intercept-resend attacks on collective-rotation noise channels when the rotation angle is varied arbitrarily within particular bounds. Full article

With the high availability of low-cost and energy-efficient LEDs and cameras, there is increased interest in optical camera communication (OCC) to provide nonradio-frequency-based communication solutions in the domains of advertisement, vehicular communication, and the Internet of Things (IoT). As per the IEEE 802.15.7-2018 standard, new physical-layer clauses support low-frame-rate camera communication with allowable flickering. This paper proposes an OCC system that can provide user-centric multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) loosely based on quantum-chromodynamics (QCD) concepts. A QCD–OCC simulator and prototype are proposed, implemented, and evaluated on the basis of the pixel intensity profile, peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), the success of reception (%), bit-error rate (BER), and throughput under different ambient lighting conditions and distances. We observed 100% and 84% success of reception using the proposed prototype and simulator, respectively, for the data rate of 720 bps. The maximal tolerable BER of $1.13\times {10}^{-2}$ for IoT applications was observed at a maximal distance of 200 cm and a maximal data rate of 3600 bps. The proposed system was also compared with other existing OCC systems with similar hardware and implementation requirements. The proposed QCD–OCC system provided rotation support up to 90 degrees and throughput of 4.32 kbps for a 30 fps camera. Full article