Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1409.5991

A correct security evaluation of quantum key distribution

Osamu Hirota

Published Sep 21, 2014• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

There is no doubt that quantum key distribution is an excellent result as a science. However, this paper presents a view on quantum key distribution (QKD) wherein QKD may have a difficulty to provide a sufficient security and good communication performance in real world networks. In fact, a one-time pad forwarded by QKD model with $\barε=10^{-6}$ may be easily decrypted by key estimation. Despite that researchers know several criticisms on the theoretical incompleteness on the security evaluation, Portmann and Rennner, and others still avert from the discussion on criticism, and experimental groups tend to make exaggerated claims about their own work by making it seems that QKD is applicable to commercial communication systems. All such claims are based on a misunderstanding of the meaning of criteria of information theoretic security in cryptography. A severe situation has arisen as a result, one that will impair a healthy development of quantum information science (QIS). Thus, the author hopes that this paper will help to stimulate discussions on developing a more detailed theory.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.1409.5991

Related papers

An Introduction to Practical Quantum Key Distribution

Omar Amer, Vaibhav Garg, Walter O. Krawec

Quantum technology, and especially quantum computing, is advancing rapidly. Our every-day secure communication infrastructure relies heavily on public key cryptography; unfortunately, many public key schemes are in fact insecure against quantum algorithms. Furthermore, adversaries who, today, capture information encrypted using classical key distribution systems, can wait and, as soon as quantum computers of sufficient power become available, they may decipher all previously captured information. While some new “post-quantum” public key systems are assumed to be secure against quantum computers, this is only an assumption and, even if the assumption remains valid, still results in systems that are less efficient for end-users than the more commonly used public key systems employed today. While the advent of quantum technology may seem detrimental to security, in fact, one may harness the power of quantum through quantum key distribution (QKD) for stronger security guarantees. Such QKD protocols allow two (or more) parties to establish a shared secret key, secure against an all-powerful adversary. Perhaps surprising is that QKD technology is already here both experimentally and commercially. This tutorial serves as an introduction to basic QKD along with QKD technology from a practical perspective. Quantum communication is a highly interdisciplinary field of research and one of the goals of this article is to introduce a larger set of researchers and practitioners to its study in the hopes of furthering its progress and eventual wide-scale adoption.

IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine•Mar 1, 2021•62 citations

Quantum Key Distribution with Imperfections: Recent Advances in Security Proofs

Patrick Andriolo, Esteban Vasquez, Elizabeth Agudelo +3 more

In contrast to classical public-key cryptosystems, where the security of encoded messages relies on on computational assumptions, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) enables two distant parties to establish a shared secret key that, when combined with a one-time pad, provides information-theoretically secure encryption, provided that the QKD protocol is supported by a rigorous security proof. In the last decades, security proofs robust against a wide range of eavesdropping strategies have established the theoretical soundness of several QKD protocols. However, most proofs are based on idealized models of the physical systems involved in such protocols and often include assumptions that are not satisfied in practical implementations. This mismatch creates a gap between theoretical security guarantees and actual experimental realizations, making QKD protocols vulnerable to attacks. To ensure the security of real-world QKD systems, it is therefore essential to account for imperfections in security analyses. In this article, we present an overview of recent analytical and numerical developments in QKD security proofs, which provide a versatile approach for incorporating imperfections and re-establishing the security of quantum communication protocols under realistic conditions.

quant-pharXiv:2602.05057•Brazilian Journal of Physics•Feb 6, 2026•1 citation

Quantum cryptography assessing the security and practicality of quantum key distribution in modern communication networks

Abha Kiran Rajpoot, Dharmesh Dhabliya, V. N. Trupti +3 more

The increasing number of cyber threats and the approaching development of quantum computing demand a critical review of existing cryptographic approaches. The goal of this work is to evaluate the security and practicality of utilizing Quantum Key Distribution for secure communications. QKD utilizes the laws of quantum mechanics to provide a secure and unbreakable method for exchanging information. Protocols like BB84 are resistant to threatening attacks from both classical and quantum adversaries. The methodology utilizes simulated models and quantum communication toolkits to study critical characteristics such as key generation speed, QBER, latency and scalability. Performance of QKD is compared to that of classical schemes such as RSA-2048, ECC-256 and AES-256. Results reveal that although QKD provides unparalleled theoretical security, its deployment has notable obstacles such as intricate infrastructure, restrictions on distance and elevated latency. Our study reveals that optimizing the interplay between security and practicality in QKD deployment can yield a highly effective safeguard for next-generation communication networks.

Journal of Discrete Mathematical Sciences and Cryptography•Jan 1, 2026•0 citations

Vernam's, Kotelnikov's, and Shannon's one-time pad and quantum cryptography

Igor M. Arbekov, S. N. Molotkov

Quantum cryptography Ð quantum key distribution (QKD) Ð was one of the first fields of study of quantum information theory.It reached a mature scientific level and has been implemented in commercial systems for secure quantum communications.The key distribution problem is the central issue of symmetric cryptography.Quantum cryptography solves this problem on the basis of the fundamental laws of nature: the principles of quantum mechanics.Quantum key distribution is essentially matching two independent random sequences on the transmitting and receiving sides by exchanging quantum states.Required in addition to the quantum channel is an authentic classical communication channel.Both communication channels are open and vulnerable to a perpetrator's attack.To ensure the authenticity of the classical channel at initial system startup, a seed key is required, which is used to provide information-theoretic authentication.In essence, quantum cryptography systems are mechanisms for expanding this seed key.Subsequent sessions generate a quantum key, part of which is used for authentication, while another part is employed for other cryptographic purposes, such as encryption.An issue fundamental for quantum cryptography is the number of quantum key distribution sessions that can be conducted from the initial system launch until a new system reboot, when the cryptographic properties of the quantum keys reach a critical level, after which they can no longer be used for cryptographic purposes, and a new system reboot is needed.Although a number of reviews on quantum cryptography are currently available, this issue has not been discussed in detail.It is shown that for realistic parameters of quantum cryptography systems that are currently achievable, a QKD system can operate for I.

Physics-Uspekhi•Jul 1, 2025•2 citations

Securing the Quantum Future: Evaluating and Standardizing Quantum Encryption Algorithms

Sripada Soumya, T. Chithralekha

The rise of quantum computing poses a grave threat to current cryptographic methods. While Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers a potential solution, guaranteeing its security in real-world implementations remains challenging. This paper addresses the critical need for robust Quantum Encryption algorithms, emphasizing the importance of standardized evaluation criteria and it explores the limitations of existing evaluation methods, highlighting their shortcomings in comprehensively assessing security against both classical and quantum attacks. Furthermore, a comprehensive framework for evaluating and standardizing Quantum Encryption algorithms is proposed. This framework encompasses not only the algorithm itself but also the security of the generated key. By incorporating a broader range of attack scenarios, theoretical considerations, and key-specific criteria, this framework aims to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of communication in the quantum age.This research is believed to make a significant contribution to the development of secure and standardized Quantum Encryption algorithms. The goal is to safeguard critical information infrastructure against evolving threats. Existing works have placed a strong emphasis on standardizing QKD (Quantum Key Distribution). However, the evaluation of the effectiveness of quantum encryption algorithms lacks the same level of standardization. This gap serves as the motivation behind this work.

International Conference on Computing, Communication and Networking Technologies (ICCCNT)•Jun 24, 2024•1 citation

Security Challenges and Future Research in Quantum Key Distribution Networks

Subhadra Rajpoot, Kavita Singh, Capt Puneet Singh +1 more

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) networks have emerged the revolutionary technology in ensuring secure communication in the digital age. By utilizing the principles of quantum mechanics, QKD allows two parties to establish a secret key securely, which can subsequently be used for encrypting and decrypting sensitive information. While QKD holds immense promise for enhancing cybersecurity, it also presents several challenges that necessitate further research to achieve its full potential. The research presented here examines the development of QKD networks, their real-world use, as well as the general QKD network architecture and the most recent advancements in QKD network deployments.

IEEE Uttar Pradesh Section International Conference on Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering (UPCON)•Dec 1, 2023•1 citation
There is no doubt that quantum key distribution is an excellent result as a science. However, this paper presents a view on quantum key distribution (QKD) wherein QKD may have a difficulty to provide a sufficient security and good communication performance in real world networks. In fact, a one-time pad forwarded by QKD model with εˉ=10−6\barε=10^{-6}εˉ=10−6 may be easily decrypted by key estimation. Despite that researchers know several criticisms on the theoretical incompleteness on the security evaluation, Portmann and Rennner, and others still avert from the discussion on criticism, and experimental groups tend to make exaggerated claims about their own work by making it seems that QKD is applicable to commercial communication systems. All such claims are based on a misunderstanding of the meaning of criteria of information theoretic security in cryptography. A severe situation has arisen as a result, one that will impair a healthy development of quantum information science (QIS). Thus, the author hopes that this paper will help to stimulate discussions on developing a more detailed theory.
Quantum technology, and especially quantum computing, is advancing rapidly. Our every-day secure communication infrastructure relies heavily on public key cryptography; unfortunately, many public key schemes are in fact insecure against quantum algorithms. Furthermore, adversaries who, today, capture information encrypted using classical key distribution systems, can wait and, as soon as quantum computers of sufficient power become available, they may decipher all previously captured information. While some new “post-quantum” public key systems are assumed to be secure against quantum computers, this is only an assumption and, even if the assumption remains valid, still results in systems that are less efficient for end-users than the more commonly used public key systems employed today. While the advent of quantum technology may seem detrimental to security, in fact, one may harness the power of quantum through quantum key distribution (QKD) for stronger security guarantees. Such QKD protocols allow two (or more) parties to establish a shared secret key, secure against an all-powerful adversary. Perhaps surprising is that QKD technology is already here both experimentally and commercially. This tutorial serves as an introduction to basic QKD along with QKD technology from a practical perspective. Quantum communication is a highly interdisciplinary field of research and one of the goals of this article is to introduce a larger set of researchers and practitioners to its study in the hopes of furthering its progress and eventual wide-scale adoption.
In contrast to classical public-key cryptosystems, where the security of encoded messages relies on on computational assumptions, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) enables two distant parties to establish a shared secret key that, when combined with a one-time pad, provides information-theoretically secure encryption, provided that the QKD protocol is supported by a rigorous security proof. In the last decades, security proofs robust against a wide range of eavesdropping strategies have established the theoretical soundness of several QKD protocols. However, most proofs are based on idealized models of the physical systems involved in such protocols and often include assumptions that are not satisfied in practical implementations. This mismatch creates a gap between theoretical security guarantees and actual experimental realizations, making QKD protocols vulnerable to attacks. To ensure the security of real-world QKD systems, it is therefore essential to account for imperfections in security analyses. In this article, we present an overview of recent analytical and numerical developments in QKD security proofs, which provide a versatile approach for incorporating imperfections and re-establishing the security of quantum communication protocols under realistic conditions.
The increasing number of cyber threats and the approaching development of quantum computing demand a critical review of existing cryptographic approaches. The goal of this work is to evaluate the security and practicality of utilizing Quantum Key Distribution for secure communications. QKD utilizes the laws of quantum mechanics to provide a secure and unbreakable method for exchanging information. Protocols like BB84 are resistant to threatening attacks from both classical and quantum adversaries. The methodology utilizes simulated models and quantum communication toolkits to study critical characteristics such as key generation speed, QBER, latency and scalability. Performance of QKD is compared to that of classical schemes such as RSA-2048, ECC-256 and AES-256. Results reveal that although QKD provides unparalleled theoretical security, its deployment has notable obstacles such as intricate infrastructure, restrictions on distance and elevated latency. Our study reveals that optimizing the interplay between security and practicality in QKD deployment can yield a highly effective safeguard for next-generation communication networks.
Quantum cryptography Ð quantum key distribution (QKD) Ð was one of the first fields of study of quantum information theory.It reached a mature scientific level and has been implemented in commercial systems for secure quantum communications.The key distribution problem is the central issue of symmetric cryptography.Quantum cryptography solves this problem on the basis of the fundamental laws of nature: the principles of quantum mechanics.Quantum key distribution is essentially matching two independent random sequences on the transmitting and receiving sides by exchanging quantum states.Required in addition to the quantum channel is an authentic classical communication channel.Both communication channels are open and vulnerable to a perpetrator's attack.To ensure the authenticity of the classical channel at initial system startup, a seed key is required, which is used to provide information-theoretic authentication.In essence, quantum cryptography systems are mechanisms for expanding this seed key.Subsequent sessions generate a quantum key, part of which is used for authentication, while another part is employed for other cryptographic purposes, such as encryption.An issue fundamental for quantum cryptography is the number of quantum key distribution sessions that can be conducted from the initial system launch until a new system reboot, when the cryptographic properties of the quantum keys reach a critical level, after which they can no longer be used for cryptographic purposes, and a new system reboot is needed.Although a number of reviews on quantum cryptography are currently available, this issue has not been discussed in detail.It is shown that for realistic parameters of quantum cryptography systems that are currently achievable, a QKD system can operate for I.
The rise of quantum computing poses a grave threat to current cryptographic methods. While Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers a potential solution, guaranteeing its security in real-world implementations remains challenging. This paper addresses the critical need for robust Quantum Encryption algorithms, emphasizing the importance of standardized evaluation criteria and it explores the limitations of existing evaluation methods, highlighting their shortcomings in comprehensively assessing security against both classical and quantum attacks. Furthermore, a comprehensive framework for evaluating and standardizing Quantum Encryption algorithms is proposed. This framework encompasses not only the algorithm itself but also the security of the generated key. By incorporating a broader range of attack scenarios, theoretical considerations, and key-specific criteria, this framework aims to ensure the confidentiality and integrity of communication in the quantum age.This research is believed to make a significant contribution to the development of secure and standardized Quantum Encryption algorithms. The goal is to safeguard critical information infrastructure against evolving threats. Existing works have placed a strong emphasis on standardizing QKD (Quantum Key Distribution). However, the evaluation of the effectiveness of quantum encryption algorithms lacks the same level of standardization. This gap serves as the motivation behind this work.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) networks have emerged the revolutionary technology in ensuring secure communication in the digital age. By utilizing the principles of quantum mechanics, QKD allows two parties to establish a secret key securely, which can subsequently be used for encrypting and decrypting sensitive information. While QKD holds immense promise for enhancing cybersecurity, it also presents several challenges that necessitate further research to achieve its full potential. The research presented here examines the development of QKD networks, their real-world use, as well as the general QKD network architecture and the most recent advancements in QKD network deployments.