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arXiv:2011.02152 · Lecture notes in computer science

From Practice to Theory: The “Bright Illumination” Attack on Quantum Key Distribution Systems

Rotem Liss, Tal Mor

Published Jan 1, 2020• 2 citations
arXivHTMLPDF
DOI
10.1007/978-3-030-63000-3_7

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Bright illumination attack (BIA) is considered one of the most serious eavesdropping attacks on quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. Various countermeasures have been proposed to eliminate this threat. Most of them focus on bright light at the telecom wavelength of 1550 nm, often involving power monitors with a sensitivity range from 900 to 1700 nm. However, BIA at other wavelengths—typically shorter than 900 nm—could also pose a threat. The light in this wavelength range has been overlooked because avalanche photodiodes (APDs) in QKD systems have low detection efficiency for communication. However, Indium Phosphide (InP) layers, commonly used as the avalanche-amplification layer and substrate in APDs, can absorb light at these shorter wavelengths, potentially causing blinding due to photocurrent. Such attacks cannot be detected by power monitors designed for telecom wavelengths. In this study, we experimentally investigated the feasibility of BIA on practical QKD systems using the 830-nm continuous-wave light. We found clear evidence of APD blinding, which reduces quantum efficiency. This finding suggests that the security certification of commercial QKD systems should consider potential attacks using near-infrared light.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) has been proved to be information-theoretically secure in theory. Unfortunately, the imperfect devices in practice compromise its security. Thus, to improve the security property of practical QKD systems, a commonly used method is to patch the loopholes in the existing QKD systems. However, in this work, we show an adversary's capability of exploiting the imperfection of the patch itself to bypass the patch. Specifically, we experimentally demonstrate that, in the detector under test, the patch of photocurrent monitor against the detector blinding attack can be defeated by the pulse illumination attack proposed in this paper. We also analyze the secret key rate under the pulse illumination attack, which theoretically confirmed that Eve can conduct the attack to learn the secret key. This work indicates the importance of inspecting the security loopholes in a detection unit to further understand their impacts on a QKD system. The method of pulse illumination attack can be a general testing item in the security evaluation standard of QKD.
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 [Nat. Photonics 4, 686 (2010)]. 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 detectors in a commercial QKD system Clavis2 can be blinded by heating the avalanche photo diodes (APDs) using bright illumination, so-called thermal blinding. Further, the detectors can be triggered using short bright pulses once they are blind. For systems with pauses between packet transmission such as the plug-and-play systems, thermal inertia enables Eve to apply the bright blinding illumination before eavesdropping, making her more difficult to catch.