We survey some results in quantum cryptography. After a brief introduction to classical cryptography, we provide the quantum-mechanical background needed to present some fundamental protocols from quantum cryptography. In particular, we review quantum key distribution via the BB84 protocol and its security proof, as well as the related quantum bit commitment protocol and its proof of insecurity.
We survey some results in quantum cryptography. After a brief introduction to classical cryptography, we provide the quantum-mechanical background needed to present some fundamental protocols from quantum cryptography. In particular, we review quantum key distribution via the BB84 protocol and its security proof, as well as the related quantum bit commitment protocol and its proof of insecurity.
Quantum Cryptography is a novel approach to make the information and network world more secure. Unlike classical cryptography, quantum cryptography ensures the security of communication because it is based on the laws of Quantum Mechanics; a branch of physics that deals with the fundamental behavior of matter and their energies to the levels of subatomic particles. These particles and their intrinsic properties such as photon polarization and entanglement allow us to develop an unbreakable system of cryptographic information. Conventionally, the security has been primarily concerned with the secured distribution of secret key carried over an insecure channel. However, in Quantum Cryptographic systems the transmission of secret key is done using aforementioned laws of nature through a secured quantum channel highly susceptible to intrusion detection. Consequently, the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), in conjunction with protocols such as BB84 protocol has emerged as an ultimate modern secured communication system. This article concentrates on briefly reviewing quantum cryptography, some recent developments and reports of its vulnerabilities.
Quantum Cryptography offers a secure method of sharing sequences of random numbers to be used as cryptographic keys. It can potentially eliminate many of the weaknesses of classical cryptographic methods. In this paper, we survey some results in quantum cryptography. After a brief introduction to classical cryptography, some fundamental quantum key distribution protocols are reviewed. The issue of security both from theoretical as well as real life point of view is also addressed. Finally we point out some noteworthy recent advances and some important remaining challenges.
Quantum cryptography is the art and science of exploiting quantum mechanical effects in order to perform cryptographic tasks. While the most well-known example of this discipline is quantum key distribution (QKD), there exist many other applications such as quantum money, randomness generation, secure two- and multi-party computation and delegated quantum computation. Quantum cryptography also studies the limitations and challenges resulting from quantum adversaries-including the impossibility of quantum bit commitment, the difficulty of quantum rewinding and the definition of quantum security models for classical primitives. In this review article, aimed primarily at cryptographers unfamiliar with the quantum world, we survey the area of theoretical quantum cryptography, with an emphasis on the constructions and limitations beyond the realm of QKD.
Quantum cryptography offers a promising unbreakable cryptographic solution as it ensures perfect secrecy in applications such as quantum key distribution and bit commitment. The focus of this paper is to trace the development of quantum key distribution protocols and discuss the state of the art and open issues in this field. Although the protocols have mathematically proven to be totally secure, it must be emphasized that any real world implementation suffers the limitations of physical devices which can serve as vulnerability for an eavesdropper to exploit. In this paper, we survey the quantum key distribution protocols which exist in literature and explore the attacks to which they are vulnerable. We highlight the main implementation bottlenecks related with each implementation and the solutions proposed thereof.
With the ever-growing concern for internet security, the field of quantum cryptography emerges as a promising solution for enhancing the security of networking systems. In this paper, 20 notable papers from leading conferences and journals are reviewed and categorized based on their focus on various aspects of quantum cryptography, including key distribution, quantum bit commitment, post-quantum cryptography, and counterfactual quantum key distribution. The paper explores the motivations and challenges of employing quantum cryptography, addressing security and privacy concerns along with existing solutions. Secure key distribution, a critical component in ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of transmitted information over a network, is emphasized in the discussion. The survey examines the potential of quantum cryptography to enable secure key exchange between parties, even when faced with eavesdropping, and other applications of quantum cryptography. Additionally, the paper analyzes the methodologies, findings, and limitations of each reviewed study, pinpointing trends such as the increasing focus on practical implementation of quantum cryptography protocols and the growing interest in post-quantum cryptography research. Furthermore, the survey identifies challenges and open research questions, including the need for more efficient quantum repeater networks, improved security proofs for continuous variable quantum key distribution, and the development of quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms, showing future directions for the field of quantum cryptography.
The emergence of quantum computing has provided new paradigms for cryptography. On the one hand, it poses significant new threats to existing classically cryptographic systems, requiring the community to define new security models that capture what a quantum adversary can do. On the other hand, it gives us new tools to design cryptographic protocols, with weaker assumptions than in the classical world, or even protocols that are impossible classically. In this survey, we first give an overview of new security definitions for classical cryptography, considering quantum adversaries who can either only use local quantum computation (post-quantum security), or even send quantum messages and in particular have access to oracle in superposition (quantum security). We explore these new notions through the examples of commitments, zero-knowledge proofs, encryption, and signatures. Then, we present what is arguably the most famous application of quantum cryptography: quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols that take advantage of unique properties of quantum mechanics to provide secure communication unconditionally. We also explore cryptography beyond QKD, focusing on unclonable cryptography: a family of cryptographic functionalities, built with quantum states, and designed to be resistant to counterfeit by leveraging the “no-cloning” theorem. We examine in particular quantum money, but also the recent notions of unclonable encryption and copy-protection, including related variants. By presenting a comprehensive survey of these topics, this paper aims to provide a thorough understanding of the current landscape and future potential of quantum cryptography.