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Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference Companion (GECCO Companion)

Using evolutionary techniques to analyze the security of quantum key distribution protocols

Walter O. Krawec

Published Jul 11, 2014• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a new real coded GA which may be used to analyze the security of quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols by estimating the maximally tolerated error rate - an important statistic and, for many newer more complicated protocols, still unknown. Our algorithm takes advantage of several nice features of QKD protocols to simplify the search process and was evaluated on several protocols and can even detect security flaws in a protocol thus showing our algorithm's usefulness in protocol design.

DOI
10.1145/2598394.2598410

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In this paper, we describe a new real coded GA which may be used to analyze the security of quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols by estimating the maximally tolerated error rate - an important statistic and, for many newer more complicated protocols, still unknown. Our algorithm takes advantage of several nice features of QKD protocols to simplify the search process and was evaluated on several protocols and can even detect security flaws in a protocol thus showing our algorithm's usefulness in protocol design.
In this paper we show how a genetic algorithm may be used to analyze the security of quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols. In particular, we construct an algorithm to find the maximally tolerated noise level of a QKD protocol (the threshold after which users must abort). Extending on our previous work in this area, we describe in detail the algorithm and how it is constructed. We show how preprocessing may be considered by the algorithm to improve this tolerated bound. Finally, we evaluate it on multiple QKD protocols, comparing it to known bounds and also discovering new results. We also show how it can be used to analyze the security of complicated QKD protocols requiring the adversary to interact with the users. It may also be used to detect security flaws in protocols. Our algorithm can be a useful tool in QKD research and design.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) allows two parties to establish a shared secret key secure against an all-powerful adversary. Typically, one designs new QKD protocols and then analyzes their maximal tolerated noise mathematically. If the noise in the quantum channel connecting the two parties is higher than this threshold value, they must abort. In this paper we design and evaluate a new real-coded Genetic Algorithm which takes as input statistics on a particular quantum channel (found using standard channel estimation procedures) and outputs a QKD protocol optimized for the specific given channel. We show how this method can be used to find QKD protocols for channels where standard protocols would fail.
Genetic Algorithm (GA) may be used to analyses the security of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols. It evaluates on multiple QKD protocol such as, comparing it to known bounds and also discovering new results. It also shows how it can be used to analyze the security of complicated QKD protocols requiring the adversary to interact with the users. It may also be used to detect security flaws in protocols. This algorithm can be a useful tool in QKD research and design. The genetic algorithm can be used to analyses the security of the quantum cryptographic protocols. This paper handles the different types of attacks like photon loss and multi-photon attacks. Analysis can be done on these protocols namely BB84, B92, SARGO4, Semi-Quantum protocol, Mediated Semi-Quantum protocols. The attacks can be handled by using genetic algorithm is the main intention of this work.
In this paper we show how genetic algorithms can be effectively applied to study the security of arbitrary quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols when faced with adversaries limited to current-day technology. We compare two approaches, both of which take into account practical limitations on the quantum power of an adversary (which can be specified by the user). Our system can be used to determine upper-bounds on noise tolerances of novel QKD protocols in this scenario, thus making it a useful tool for researchers. We compare our algorithm's results with current known numerical results, and also evaluate it on newer, more complex, protocols where no results are currently known.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) gradually has become a crucial element of practical secure communication. In different scenarios, the security analysis of genuine QKD systems is complicated. A universal secret key rate calculation method, used for realistic factors such as multiple degrees of freedom encoding, asymmetric protocol structures, equipment flaws, environmental noise, and so on, is still lacking. Based on the correlations of statistical data, we propose a security analysis method without restriction on encoding schemes. This method makes a trade-off between applicability and accuracy, which can effectively analyze various existing QKD systems. We illustrate its ability by analyzing source flaws and a high-dimensional asymmetric protocol. Results imply that our method can give tighter bounds than the Gottesman-Lo-Lütkenhaus-Preskill (GLLP) analysis and is beneficial to analyze protocols with complex encoding structures. Our work has the potential to become a reference standard for the security analysis of practical QKD.
The current technological advancements in quantum computing pose a threat to traditional key exchange protocols such as Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA), Diffie-Hellman (DH), and Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH). One of the most important quantum algorithms is Shor's algorithm, which can easily defeat traditional approaches that rely on complex mathematical computations. Instead, the security of the key exchange protocol is provided by quantum cryptographic applications known as quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, which are based on quantum mechanical principles. QKD provides a secure substitute for key exchange. This paper examines the security of both traditional and quantum key exchange techniques. Using simulation tools such as Qiskit and NetSquid, we model QKD-based communication channels and analyze key rate performance, error rates, and scalability in comparison to classical cryptographic techniques. This paper introduces the emergence of current quantum safe encryption techniques by offering a standardized comparison of key exchange protocols and their applicability to future secure networks. The insights derived from our simulations provide valuable guidance for researchers, industry practitioners, and policymakers in determining the optimal path toward quantum-secure communication infrastructures.