An intercept-resend attack on a continuous-variable quantum-key-distribution protocol is investigated experimentally. By varying the interception fraction, one can implement a family of attacks where the eavesdropper totally controls the channel parameters. In general, such attacks add excess noise in the channel, and may also result in non-Gaussian output distributions. We implement and characterize the measurements needed to detect these attacks, and evaluate experimentally the information rates available to the legitimate users and the eavesdropper. The results are consistent with the optimality of Gaussian attacks resulting from the security proofs.
In this paper, we give a simple proof of the fact that the optimal collective attacks against continous-variable quantum key distribution with a Gaussian modulation are Gaussian attacks. Our proof makes use of symmetry properties of the quantum key distribution protocol in phase-space.
We investigate the security of continuous-variable (CV) quantum key distribution (QKD) using coherent states and reverse reconciliation against Gaussian individual attacks based on an optimal Gaussian $1 \to 2$ cloning machine. We provide an implementation of the optimal Gaussian individual attack. we also find a Bell-measurement attack which works without delayed choice of measurements and has better performance than the cloning attack.
A general study of arbitrary finite-size coherent attacks against continuous-variable quantum cryptographic schemes is presented. It is shown that, if the size of the blocks that can be coherently attacked by an eavesdropper is fixed and much smaller than the key size, then the optimal attack for a given signal-to-noise ratio in the transmission line is an individual gaussian attack. Consequently, non-gaussian coherent attacks do not need to be considered in the security analysis of such quantum cryptosystems.
We investigate the asymptotic security of one-way continuous variable quantum key distribution against Gaussian two-mode coherent attacks. The one-way protocol is implemented by arranging the channel uses in two-mode blocks. By applying symmetric random permutations over these blocks, the security analysis is in fact reduced to study two-mode coherent attacks and, in particular, Gaussian ones, due to the extremality of Gaussian states. We explicitly show that the use of two-mode Gaussian correlations by an eavesdropper leads to asymptotic secret key rates which are strictly larger than the rat…
The security proof of continuous variable (CV) measurement device independent (MDI) quantum key distribution (QKD) cannot be reduced to the analysis of one-mode Gaussian attacks (in particular, independent entangling-cloner attacks). To stress this point, the present note provides a very simple (almost trivial) argument, showing that there are an infinite number of two-mode Gaussian attacks which cannot be reduced to or simulated by one-mode Gaussian attacks. This result further confirms that the security analysis of CV-MDI-QKD must involve a careful minimization over two-mode attacks as origi…
We analyze the asymptotic security of the family of Gaussian modulated Quantum Key Distribution protocols for Continuous Variables systems. We prove that the Gaussian unitary attack is optimal for all the considered bounds on the key rate when the first and second momenta of the canonical variables involved are known by the honest parties.
A fully general approach to the security analysis of continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) is presented. Provided that the quantum channel is estimated via the covariance matrix of the quadratures, Gaussian attacks are shown to be optimal against all eavesdropping strategies, including collective and coherent attacks. The proof is made strikingly simple by combining a physical model of measurement, an entanglement-based description of CV-QKD, and a recent powerful result on the extremality of Gaussian states [Phys. Rev. Lett. 96, 080502 (2006)].
We introduce a new class of quantum quantum key distribution protocols, tailored to be robust against photon number splitting (PNS) attacks. We study one of these protocols, which differs from the BB84 only in the classical sifting procedure. This protocol is provably better than BB84 against PNS attacks at zero error.
In Gaussian quantum key distribution eavesdropping attacks are conventionally modeled through the universal entangling cloner scheme, which is based on the premise that the whole environment is under control of the adversary, i.e., the eavesdropper purifies the system. This assumption implies that the eavesdropper has either access to an identity (noiseless) channel or infinite amount of entanglement in order to simulate such an identity channel. In this work, we challenge the necessity of this assumption, and we propose a teleportation-based eavesdropping attack, where the eavesdropper is not…
We consider the two-way quantum cryptographic protocol with coherent states assuming direct reconciliation. A detailed security analysis is performed considering a two-mode coherent attack, that represents the residual eavesdropping once the parties have reduced the general attack by applying symmetric random permutations. In this context we provide a general analytical expression for the keyrate, discussing the impact of the residual two-mode correlations on the security of the scheme. In particular we identify the optimal eavesdropping against two-way quantum communication, which is given by…
We investigate the performance of Gaussianmodulated coherent-state QKD protocols in the presence of canonical attacks, which are collective Gaussian attacks resulting in Gaussian channels described by one of the possible canonical forms. We present asymptotic key rates and then we extend the results to the finite-size regime using a recently-developed toolbox for composable security.
A new class of quantum cryptography (QC) protocols that are robust against the most general photon number splitting attacks in a weak coherent pulse implementation has been recently proposed. In this article we give a quite exhaustive analysis of several eavesdropping attacks on these schemes. The eavesdropper (Eve) is supposed to have unlimited technological power while the honest parties (Alice and Bob) use present day technology, in particular an attenuated laser as an approximation of a single-photon source. They exploit the nonorthogonality of quantum states for decreasing the information…
Recently, we have shown the advantages of two-way quantum communications in continuous variable quantum cryptography. Thanks to this new approach, two honest users can achieve a non-trivial security enhancement as long as the Gaussian interactions of an eavesdropper are independent and identical. In this work, we consider asymmetric strategies where the Gaussian interactions can be different and classically correlated. For several attacks of this kind, we prove that the enhancement of security still holds when the two-way protocols are used in direct reconciliation.
In practical quantum cryptography, the source sometimes produces multi-photon pulses, thus enabling the eavesdropper Eve to perform the powerful photon-number-splitting (PNS) attack. Recently, it was shown by Curty and Lutkenhaus [Phys. Rev. A 69, 042321 (2004)] that the PNS attack is not always the optimal attack when two photons are present: if errors are present in the correlations Alice-Bob and if Eve cannot modify Bob's detection efficiency, Eve gains a larger amount of information using another attack based on a 2->3 cloning machine. In this work, we extend this analysis to all distances…
Two-way Gaussian protocols have the potential to increase quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols' secret-key rates by orders of magnitudes~[Phys.~Rev.~A {\bf 94}, 012322 (2016)]. Security proofs for two-way protocols, however, are underdeveloped at present. In this paper, we establish a security proof framework for the general coherent attack on two-way Gaussian protocols in the asymptotic regime. We first prove that coherent-attack security can be reduced to collective-attack security for all two-way QKD protocols. Next, we identify two different constraints that each provide intrusion para…
We study the secrecy properties of Gaussian states under Gaussian operations. Although such operations are useless for quantum distillation, we prove that it is possible to distill a secret key secure against any attack from sufficiently entangled Gaussian states with non-positive partial transposition. Moreover, all such states allow for key distillation, when Eve is assumed to perform finite-size coherent attacks before the reconciliation process.
We provide a simple description of the most general collective Gaussian attack in continuous-variable quantum cryptography. In the scenario of such general attacks, we analyze the asymptotic secret-key rates which are achievable with coherent states, joint measurements of the quadratures and one-way classical communication.
In this paper, we consider continuous-variable quantum key distribution with a discrete modulation, either binary or quaternary. We establish the security of these protocols against the class of collective attacks that induce a linear quantum channel. In particular, all Gaussian attacks are taken into account, as well as linear attacks which add a non-Gaussian noise. We give lower bounds for the secret key rate using extremality properties of Gaussian states.
Establishing the security of continuous-variable quantum key distribution against general attacks in a realistic finite-size regime is an outstanding open problem in the field of theoretical quantum cryptography if we restrict our attention to protocols that rely on the exchange of coherent states. Indeed, techniques based on the uncertainty principle are not known to work for such protocols, and the usual tools based on de Finetti reductions only provide security for unrealistically large block lengths. We address this problem here by considering a new type of Gaussian de Finetti reduction, t…
We consider the notion of canonical attacks, which are the cryptographic analog of the canonical forms of a one-mode Gaussian channel. Using this notion, we explore the connections between the degradability properties of the channel and its security for quantum key distribution. Finally, we also show some relations between canonical attacks and optimal Gaussian cloners.
We consider continuous-variable quantum key distribution with discrete-alphabet encodings. In particular, we study protocols where information is encoded in the phase of displaced coherent (or thermal) states, even though the results can be directly extended to any protocol based on finite constellations of displaced Gaussian states. In this setting, we provide a composable security analysis in the finite-size regime assuming the realistic but restrictive hypothesis of collective Gaussian attacks. Under this assumption, we can efficiently estimate the parameters of the channel via maximum like…
Cybersecurity of Quantum Key Distribution Implementations
Technion—Israel Institute of Technology（以色列理工学院）；Bar-Ilan University（巴伊兰大学）；ICFO—Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology（ICFO-光子科学研究所，巴塞罗那科学技术学院）
We present here an information theoretic study of Gaussian collective attacks on the continuous variable key distribution protocols based on Gaussian modulation of coherent states. These attacks, overlooked in previous security studies, give a finite advantage to the eavesdropper in the experimentally relevant lossy channel, but are not powerful enough to reduce the range of the reverse reconciliation protocols. Secret key rates are given for the ideal case where Bob performs optimal collective measurements, as well as for the realistic cases where he performs homodyne or heterodyne measuremen…
In this paper, we consider continuous-variable quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols which use non-Gaussian modulations. These specific modulation schemes are compatible with very efficient error correction procedures, hence allowing the protocols to outperform previous protocols in terms of achievable range. In their simplest implementation, these protocols are secure for any linear quantum channels (hence against Gaussian attacks). We also show how the use of decoy states makes the protocols secure against arbitrary collective attacks, which implies their unconditional security in the asy…
We consider two-way continuous-variable quantum key distribution, studying its security against general eavesdropping strategies. Assuming the asymptotic limit of many signals exchanged, we prove that two-way Gaussian protocols are immune to coherent attacks. More precisely we show the general superadditivity of the two-way security thresholds, which are proven to be higher than the corresponding one-way counterparts in all cases. We perform the security analysis first reducing the general eavesdropping to a two-mode coherent Gaussian attack, and then showing that the superadditivity is achiev…
We introduce a symmetrization technique which can be used as an extra step in some continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocols. By randomizing the data in phase space, one can dramatically simplify the security analysis of the protocols, in particular in the case of collective attacks. The main application of this procedure concerns protocols with postselection, for which security was established only against Gaussian attacks until now. Here, we prove that under some experimentally verifiable conditions, Gaussian attacks are optimal among all collective attacks.
We give a detailed description of the entanglement purification protocol which generates maximally entangled states with high efficiencies from realistic Gaussian continuous variable entangled states. The physical implementation of this protocol is extensively analyzed using high finesse cavities and cavity enhanced cross Kerr nonlinearities. In particular, we take into account many imperfections in the experimental scheme and calculate their influences. Quantitative requirements are given for the relevant experimental parameters.
Efficiency is a key issue in any real implementation of a cryptographic protocol since the physical resources are not unlimited. We will first show that Quantum Key Distribution is possible with an "Entanglement based" scheme with NPPT symmetric Gaussian states in spite of the fact that these systems cannot be distilled with Gaussian operations (they are all bound entangled). In this work we analyze the secrecy properties of Gaussian states under Gaussian operations. Although such operations are useless for quantum distillation, we prove that it is possible to distill efficiently a secret key …
A continuous variable ping-pong scheme, which is utilized to generate deterministically private key, is proposed. The proposed scheme is implemented physically by using Gaussian-modulated squeezed states. The deterministic way, i.e., no basis reconciliation between two parties, leads a two-times efficiency comparing to the standard quantum key distribution schemes. Especially, the separate control mode does not need in the proposed scheme so that it is simpler and more available than previous ping-pong schemes. The attacker may be detected easily through the fidelity of the transmitted signal,…
We present a concept of non-Gaussian measurement composed of a non-Gaussian ancillary state, linear optics and adaptive heterodyne measurement, and on the basis of this we also propose a simple scheme of implementing a quantum cubic gate on a traveling light beam. In analysis of the cubic gate in the Heisenberg representation, we find that nonlinearity of the gate is independent from nonclassicality; the nonlinearity is generated solely by a classical nonlinear adaptive control in a measurement-and-feedforward process while the nonclassicality is attached by the non-Gaussian ancilla that suppr…
We present a novel attack on quantum key distribution based on the idea of adaptive absorption [calsam01]. The conditional beam splitting attack is shown to be much more efficient than the conventional beam spitting attack, achieving a performance similar to the, powerful but currently unfeasible, photon number splitting attack. The implementation of the conditional beam splitting attack, based solely on linear optical elements, is well within reach of current technology.
We present a rigorous security analysis of Continuous-Variable Measurement-Device Independent Quantum Key Distribution (CV MDI QKD) in a finite size scenario. The security proof is obtained in two steps: by first assessing the security against collective Gaussian attacks, and then extending to the most general class of coherent attacks via the Gaussian de Finetti reduction. Our result combines recent state-of-the-art security proofs for CV QKD with new findings about min-entropy calculus and parameter estimation. In doing so, we improve the finite-size estimate of the secret key rate. Our conc…
In this paper, security of practically decoy state quantum key distribution under fake state attack is considered. If quantum key distribution is insecure under this type of attack, decoy sources can not also provide it with enough security. Strictly analysis shows that Eve should eavesdrop with the aid of photon-number-resolving instruments. In practical implementation of decoy state quantum key distribution where statistical fluctuation is considered, however, Eve can attack it successfully with threshold detectors.
We analyze the security against collective attacks for a homodyne-based continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocol using binary coherent states and postselection. We derive a lower bound of the secret key rate in an asymptotic scenario, and numerically optimize it for the case of a symmetric Gaussian channel.
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 consider quantum key distribution implementations in which the receiver's apparatus is fixed and does not depend on his choice of basis at each qubit transmission. We show that, although theoretical quantum key distribution is proven secure, such implementations are totally insecure against a strong eavesdropper that has one-time (single) access to the receiver's equipment. The attack we present here, the "fixed-apparatus attack" causes a potential risk to the usefulness of several recent implementations.
With the emergence of an information society, the idea of protecting sensitive data is steadily gaining importance. Conventional encryption methods may not be sufficient to guarantee data protection in the future. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is an emerging technology that exploits fundamental physical properties to guarantee perfect security in theory. However, it is not easy to ensure in practice that the implementations of QKD systems are exactly in line with the theoretical specifications. Such theory-practice deviations can open loopholes and compromise the security. Several of such loo…
We examine a proposed auction using quantum states to represent bids and distributed adiabatic search to find the winner. When the auctioneer follows the protocol, the final measurement giving the outcome of the auction also destroys the bid states, thereby preserving privacy of losing bidders. We describe how a dishonest auctioneer could alter the protocol to violate this privacy guarantee, and present methods by which bidders can counter such attacks. We also suggest possible quantum circuit implementations of the auctions protocol, and quantum circuits to perpetrate and to counter attacks b…
In this work we present a quantum key distribution protocol using continuous-variable non-Gaussian states, homodyne detection and post-selection. The employed signal states are the Photon Added then Subtracted Coherent States (PASCS) in which one photon is added and subsequently one photon is subtracted. We analyze the performance of our protocol, compared to a coherent state based protocol, for two different attacks that could be carried out by the eavesdropper (Eve). We calculate the secret key rate transmission in a lossy line for a superior channel (beam-splitter) attack, and we show that …
The security of quantum communication using a weak coherent source requires an accurate knowledge of the source's mean photon number. Finite calibration precision or an active manipulation by an attacker may cause the actual emitted photon number to deviate from the known value. We model effects of this deviation on the security of three quantum communication protocols: the Bennett-Brassard 1984 (BB84) quantum key distribution (QKD) protocol without decoy states, Scarani-Acin-Ribordy-Gisin 2004 (SARG04) QKD protocol, and a coin-tossing protocol. For QKD, we model both a strong attack using tec…
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…
