If an eavesdropper succeeds in compromising the quantum as well as the classical channels and mimics the receiver "Bob" for the sender "Alice" and vice versa, one defence strategy is the successive, temporally interlocked partial transmission of the entire encrypted message.
In this paper we review and comment on "A novel protocol-authentication algorithm ruling out a man-in-the-middle attack in quantum cryptography", [M. Peev et al., Int. J. Quant. Inform., 3, 225, (2005)]. In particular, we point out that the proposed primitive is not secure when used in a generic protocol, and needs additional authenticating properties of the surrounding quantum-cryptographic protocol.
In this work we review the security vulnerability of Quantum Cryptography with respect to "man-in-the-middle attacks" and the standard authentication methods applied to counteract these attacks. We further propose a modified authentication algorithm which features higher efficiency with respect to consumption of mutual secret bits.
We prove that in the BB84 quantum cryptography protocol Alice and Bob do not need to make random bases-choice for each qubit: they can keep the same bases for entire blocks of qubits. It suffices that the raw key consists of many such qubit-blocks. The practical advantage of reducing the need for random number is emphasized.
In this paper, we describe a robust quantum cryptography scheme with a heralded single photon source based on the decoy-state method, which has been shown by numerical simulations to be advantageous compared with many other practical schemes not only with respect to the secure key generation rate but also to secure transmission distance. We have experimentally tested this scheme, and the results support the conclusions from numerical simulations well. Although there still exist many deficiencies in our present systems, it's still sufficient to demonstrate the advantages of the scheme. Besides,…
We examine a situation that $n$ eavesdroppers attack the Bennett-Brassard cryptographic protocol via their own optimal and symmetric strategies. Information gain and mutual information with sender for each eavesdropper are explicitly derived. The receiver's error rate for the case of arbitrary $n$ eavesdroppers can be derived using a recursive relation. Although first eavesdropper can get mutual information without disturbance arising due to other eavesdroppers, subsequent eavesdropping generally increases the receiver's error rate. Other eavesdroppers cannot gain information on the input sign…
We consider quantum cryptographic schemes where the carriers of information are 3-state particles. One protocol uses four mutually unbiased bases and appears to provide better security than obtainable with 2-state carriers. Another possible method allows quantum states to belong to more than one basis. The security is not better, but many curious features arise.
A new cryptographic tool, anonymous quantum key technique, is introduced that leads to unconditionally secure key distribution and encryption schemes that can be readily implemented experimentally in a realistic environment. If quantum memory is available, the technique would have many features of public-key cryptography; an identification protocol that does not require a shared secret key is provided as an illustration. The possibility is also indicated for obtaining unconditionally secure quantum bit commitment protocols with this technique.
We assess the potential of quantum cryptography as a technology. We highlight the fact that academia and real world have rather different perspectives and interests. Then, we describe the various real life forces (different types of users, vendors of crypto-systems, conventional cryptographers, governments) behind the decision of the adoption (or rejection) of quantum cryptography and their different interests. Various roadblocks to the widespread application of quantum cryptography are discussed. Those roadblocks can be fundamental, technological, psychological, commercial or political and ma…
We demonstrate an implementation of quantum key distribution with continuous variables based on a go-&-return configuration over distances up to 14km. This configuration leads to self-compensation of polarisation and phase fluctuations. We observe a high degree of stability of our set-up over many hours.
Quantum Cryptography, or more accurately, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is based on using an unconditionally secure ``quantum channel'' to share a secret key among two users. A manufacturer of QKD devices could, intentionally or not, use a (semi-)classical channel instead of the quantum channel, which would remove the supposedly unconditional security. One example is the BB84 protocol, where the quantum channel can be implemented in polarization of single photons. Here, use of several photons instead of one to encode each bit of the key provides a similar but insecure system. For protocols ba…
Quantum secret sharing (QSS) is a protocol to split a message into several parts so that no subset of parts is sufficient to read the message, but the entire set is. In the scheme, three parties Alice, Bob and Charlie first share a three-photon entangled state, Charlie can then force Alice and Bob to cooperate to be able to establish the secret key with him by performing proper polarization measurements on his photon and announcing which polarization basis he has chosen. In a similar manner, in third-man quantum cryptography (TQC) the third-man, Charlie, can control whether Alice and Bob can c…
Quantum computing had a profound impact on cryptography. Shor's discovery of an efficient quantum algorithm for factoring large integers implies that many existing classical systems based on computational assumptions can be broken, once a quantum computer is built. It is therefore imperative to find other means of implementing secure protocols. This thesis aims to contribute to the understanding of both the physical limitations, as well as the possibilities of cryptography in the quantum setting. In particular, we investigate several questions that are crucial to the security of quantum protoc…
The promise of secure cryptographic quantum key distribution schemes is based on the use of quantum effects in the spin space. We point out that in fact in many current quantum cryptography protocols the space part of the wave function is neglected. However exactly the space part of the wave function describes the behaviour of particles in ordinary real three-dimensional space. As a result such schemes can be secure against eavesdropping attacks in the abstract spin space but could be insecure in the real three-dimensional space. We discuss an approach to the security of quantum key distributi…
Several schemes have been proposed to extend Quantum Key Distribution protocols aiming at improving their security or at providing new physical substrates for qubit implementation. We present a toolbox to jointly create, manipulate and measure qubits stored in polarization and transverse-modes degrees of freedom of single photons. The toolbox includes local operations on single qubits, controlled operations between the two qubits and projective measurements over a wide variety of non-local bases in the four dimensional space of states. We describe how to implement the toolbox to perform an ext…
It is well known that Shor's quantum algorithm for integer factorization can break down the RSA public-key cryptosystem, which is widely used in many cryptographic applications. Thus, public-key cryptosystems in the quantum computational setting are longed for cryptology. In order to define the security notions of public-key cryptosystems, we have to model the power of the sender, receiver, adversary and channel. While we may consider a setting where quantum computers are available only to adversaries, we generally discuss what are the right security notions for (quantum) public-key cryptosyst…
Single photon sources to be used in quantum cryptography must show higher order antibunching (HOA). HOA is reported by us in several many wave mixing processes. In the present work we have investigated the possibility of observing HOA in multiwave mixing processes in general. The generalized Hamiltonian is solved for several particular cases in Heisenberg picture and possibility of observing HOA is investigated with the help of criterion of Pathak and Garcia. Several particular cases of the generalized Hamiltonian are solved with the help of short time approximation technique and HOA is report…
We present a quantum key distribution (QKD) system based on polarisation entanglement for use in telecom fibers. A QKD exchange up to 50km was demonstrated in the laboratory with a secure key rate of 550 bit/s. The system is compact, portable with a fully automated start-up and stabilisation modules for polarisation, synchronisation and photon coupling allow a hands-off operation. Stable and reliable key exchange in a deployed optical fiber of 16km length was demonstrated. In this fiber network we achieved over two weeks an automatic key generation with an average key rate of 2000 bit/s withou…
Mistrustful cryptography includes important tasks like bit commitment, oblivious transfer, coin flipping, secure computations, position authentication, digital signatures and secure unforgeable tokens. Practical quantum implementations presently use photonic setups. In many such implementations, Alice sends photon pulses encoding quantum states and Bob chooses measurements on these states. In practice, Bob generally uses single photon threshold detectors, which cannot distinguish the number of photons in detected pulses. Also, losses and other imperfections require Bob to report the detected p…
We present a generalized tomographic quantum key distribution protocol in which the two parties share a Bell diagonal mixed state of two qubits. We show that if an eavesdropper performs a coherent measurement on many quantum ancilla states simultaneously, classical methods of secure key distillation are less effective than quantum entanglement distillation protocols. We also show that certain Bell diagonal states are resistant to any attempt of incoherent eavesdropping.
Quantum Key Exchange (QKE, also known as Quantum Key Distribution or QKD) allows communicating parties to securely establish cryptographic keys. It is a well-established fact that all QKE protocols require that the parties have access to an authentic channel. Without this authenticated link, QKE is vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. Overlooking this fact results in exaggerated claims and/or false expectations about the potential impact of QKE. In this paper we present a systematic comparison of QKE with traditional key establishment protocols in realistic secure communication systems.
Semiconductor avalanche photodiodes (APDs) are commonly used for single photon detection in quantum key distribution. Recently, many attacks using bright illumination have been proposed to manipulate gated InGaAs APDs. In order to devise effective counter-measures, careful analysis of these attacks must be carried out to distinguish between incorrect operation and genuine loopholes. Here, we show that correctly-operated, gated APDs are immune to continuous-wave illumination attacks, while monitoring the photocurrent for anomalously high values is a straightforward counter-measure against attac…
The security of messages encoded via the widely used RSA public key encryption system rests on the enormous computational effort required to find the prime factors of a large number N using classical (i.e., conventional) computers. In 1994, however, Peter Shor showed that for sufficiently large N a quantum computer would be expected to perform the factoring with much less computational effort. This paper endeavors to explain, in a fashion comprehensible to the non-expert readers of this journal: (i) the RSA encryption protocol; (ii) the various quantum computer manipulations constituting the S…
Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides information theoretically secures key exchange requiring authentication of the classic data processing channel via pre-sharing of symmetric private keys. In previous studies, the lattice-based post-quantum digital signature algorithm Aigis-Sig, combined with public-key infrastructure (PKI) was used to achieve high-efficiency quantum security authentication of QKD, and its advantages in simplifying the MAN network structure and new user entry were demonstrated. This experiment further integrates the PQC algorithm into the commercial QKD system, the Jinan …
We examine security of a protocol on cryptographic key distribution via classical noise proposed by Yuen and Kim (Phys. Lett. A 241 135 (1998)). Theoretical and experimental analysis in terms of the secure key distribution rate shows that secure key distribution is possible even if the eavesdropper could receive more photons than the legitimate receiver, as long as the signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) of the receiver is better than -9dB of the eavesdropper's SNR. Secure key distribution was demonstrated at the maximum rate of 0.04 bit per sender's bit and transmission rate of 2 Mb/s in the experime…
Random number generators (RNG) are an important resource in many areas: cryptography (both quantum and classical), probabilistic computation (Monte Carlo methods), numerical simulations, industrial testing and labeling, hazard games, scientific research, etc. Because today's computers are deterministic, they can not create random numbers unless complemented with a RNG. Randomness of a RNG can be precisely, scientifically characterized and measured. Especially valuable is the information-theoretic provable RNG (True RNG - TRNG) which, at state of the art, seem to be possible only by use of phys…
We introduce a definition of the fidelity function for multi-round quantum strategies, which we call the strategy fidelity, that is a generalization of the fidelity function for quantum states. We provide many properties of the strategy fidelity including a Fuchs-van de Graaf relationship with the strategy norm. We also provide a general monotinicity result for both the strategy fidelity and strategy norm under the actions of strategy-to-strategy linear maps. We illustrate an operational interpretation of the strategy fidelity in the spirit of Uhlmann's Theorem and discuss its application to t…
Quantum key distribution, first proposed by Bennett and Brassard, provides a possible key distribution scheme whose security depends only on the quantum laws of physics. So far the protocol has been proved secure even under channel noise and detector faults of the receiver, but is vulnerable if the photon source used is imperfect. In this paper we propose and give a concrete design for a new concept, {\it self-checking source}, which requires the manufacturer of the photon source to provide certain tests; these tests are designed such that, if passed, the source is guaranteed to be adequate fo…
Apart from their foundational significance, entropic uncertainty relations play a central role in proving the security of quantum cryptographic protocols. Of particular interest are thereby relations in terms of the smooth min-entropy for BB84 and six-state encodings. Previously, strong uncertainty relations were obtained which are valid in the limit of large block lengths. Here, we prove a new uncertainty relation in terms of the smooth min-entropy that is only marginally less strong, but has the crucial property that it can be applied to rather small block lengths. This paves the way for a p…
[Shortened abstract:] This thesis investigates the importance of quantum memory in quantum cryptography, concentrating on quantum key distribution schemes. In the hands of an eavesdropper -- a quantum memory is a powerful tool, putting in question the security of quantum cryptography; Classical privacy amplification techniques, used to prove security against less powerful eavesdroppers, might not be effective when the eavesdropper can keep quantum states for a long time. In this work we suggest a possible direction for approaching this problem. We define strong attacks of this type, and show s…
The field of quantum information is becoming more known to the general public. However, effectively demonstrating the concepts underneath quantum science and technology to the general public can be a challenging job. We investigate, extend, and much expand here "quantum candies" (invented by Jacobs), a pedagogical model for intuitively describing some basic concepts in quantum information, including quantum bits, complementarity, the no-cloning principle, and entanglement. Following Jacob's quantum candies description of the well known quantum key distribution protocol BB84, we explicitly demo…
The fundamental principles of quantum mechanics are considered to be hard for understanding by unprepared listeners, many attempts of its popularization turned out to be either difficult to grasp or incorrect. We propose quantum cryptography as a very effective tool for quantum physics introduction as it has the desired property set to intrigue students and outline the basic quantum principles. A modular desktop quantum cryptography setup that can be used for both educational and research purposes is presented. The carried out laboratory and field tests demonstrated usability and reliability o…
When elementary quantum systems, such as polarized photons, are used to transmit digital information, the uncertainty principle gives rise to novel cryptographic phenomena unachievable with traditional transmission media, e.g. a communications channel on which it is impossible in principle to eavesdrop without a high probability of being detected. With such a channel, a one-time pad can safely be reused many times as long as no eavesdrop is detected, and, planning ahead, part of the capacity of these uncompromised transmissions can be used to send fresh random bits with which to replace the on…
A quantum cryptographic protocol based in public key cryptography combinations and private key cryptography is presented. Unlike the BB84 protocol [1] and its many variants [2,3] two quantum channels are used. The present research does not make reconciliation mechanisms of information to derive the key. A three related system of key distribution are described.
The optimal mean photon number (mu) for quantum cryptography is the average photon number per transmitted pulse that results in the highest delivery rate of distilled cryptographic key bits, given a specific system scenario and set of assumptions about Eve's capabilities. Although many experimental systems have employed a mean photon number (mu) of 0.1 in practice, several research teams have pointed out that this value is somewhat arbitrary. In fact, various optimal values for mu have been described in the literature. In this paper we offer a detailed analytic model for an experimental, fiber…
Multiparty quantum cryptography based on distributed entanglement will find its natural application in the upcoming quantum networks. The security of many multipartite device-independent (DI) protocols, such as DI conference key agreement, relies on bounding the von Neumann entropy of the parties' outcomes conditioned on the eavesdropper's information, given the violation of a multipartite Bell inequality. We consider three parties testing the Mermin-Ardehali-Belinskii-Klyshko (MABK) inequality and certify the privacy of their outcomes by bounding the conditional entropy of a single party's ou…
It has previously been shown that the gated detectors of two commercially available quantum key distribution (QKD) systems are blindable and controllable by an eavesdropper using continuous-wave illumination and short bright trigger pulses, manipulating voltages in the circuit [L. Lydersen et al., Nat. Photonics DOI:10.1038/nphoton.2010.214]. This allows for an attack eavesdropping the full raw and secret key without increasing the quantum bit error rate (QBER). Here we show how thermal effects in detectors under bright illumination can lead to the same outcome. We demonstrate that the detecto…
Device-independent quantum cryptographic schemes aim to guarantee security to users based only on the output statistics of any components used, and without the need to verify their internal functionality. Since this would protect users against untrustworthy or incompetent manufacturers, sabotage or device degradation, this idea has excited much interest, and many device-independent schemes have been proposed. Here we identify a critical weakness of device-independent protocols that rely on public communication between secure laboratories. Untrusted devices may record their inputs and outputs a…
We propose a new cryptographic protocol. It is suggested to encode information in ordinary binary form into many-qubit entangled states with the help of a quantum computer. A state of qubits (realized, e.g., with photons) is transmitted through a quantum channel to the addressee, who applies a quantum computer tuned to realize the inverse unitary transformation decoding of the message. Different ways of eavesdropping are considered, and an estimate of the time needed for determining the secret unitary transformation is given. It is shown that using even small quantum computers can serve as a b…
As sensor nodes are deployed anywhere in a wireless sensor network, hence their communication can be easily monitored. In these networks, message protection and node identification are very issues. Hence, security of large scale such networks requires efficient key distribution and management mechanisms. Quantum cryptography and particularly quantum key distribution is such a technique that allocates secure keys only for short distances. While not completely secure, it offers huge advantages over traditional methods by the use of entanglement swapping and quantum teleportation. Reversible logi…
The paper presents the implementation of a quantum cryptography protocol for secure communication between servers in the cloud. As computing power increases, classical cryptography and key management schemes based on computational complexity become increasingly susceptible to brute force and cryptanalytic attacks. Current implementations of quantum cryptography are based on the BB84 protocol, which is susceptible to siphoning attacks on the multiple photons emitted by practical laser sources. The three-stage protocol, whose implementation is described in this paper, is a departure from convent…
We consider the continuous-variable protocol of Pirandola et al. [Nature Photonics 9, 397-402 (2015), see also arXiv.1312.4104] where the secret-key is established by the measurement of an untrusted relay. In this network protocol, two authorized parties are connected to an untrusted relay by insecure quantum links. Secret correlations are generated by a continuous-variable Bell detection performed on incoming coherent states. In the present work we provide a detailed study of the symmetric configuration, where the relay is midway between the parties. We analyze symmetric eavesdropping strateg…
Several quantum cryptographic schemes have been proposed and realized experimentally in the past. However, even with an advancement in quantum technology and escalated interest in the designing of direct secure quantum communication schemes there are not many experimental implementations of these cryptographic schemes. In this paper, we have provided a set of optical circuits for such quantum cryptographic schemes, which have not yet been realized experimentally by modifying some of our theoretically proposed secure communication schemes. Specifically, we have proposed optical designs for the …
We address the difference between integrable and chaotic motion in quantum theory as manifested by the complexity of the corresponding evolution operators. Complexity is understood here as the shortest geodesic distance between the time-dependent evolution operator and the origin within the group of unitaries. (An appropriate `complexity metric' must be used that takes into account the relative difficulty of performing `nonlocal' operations that act on many degrees of freedom at once.) While simply formulated and geometrically attractive, this notion of complexity is numerically intractable sa…