We address emerging threats to the security of photonic networks as these networks become heterogeneous being opened to the upper layers, other operators, and end users. We review the potential threats, mainly loss of the confidentiality of user data transmitted through optical fibers and disturbances of network control, both of which could seriously damage the entire network. We then propose a novel conceptual model of a secure photonic network by introducing a quantum key distribution (QKD) network to its legacy structure. Secure keys generated by the QKD network are managed by key management agents (KMAs) and used to encrypt not only user data but also control signals. The KMAs cooperate with the generalized multiprotocol label-switching controller for secure path provisioning and drive photonic and modern crypto engines in appropriate combinations. Finally, we present a roadmap of a deployment scenario, starting from niche applications such as mission critical and business applications and the next. Digital cinema distribution through a photonic network is presented as an example of a niche application.
We address emerging threats to the security of photonic networks as these networks become heterogeneous being opened to the upper layers, other operators, and end users. We review the potential threats, mainly loss of the confidentiality of user data transmitted through optical fibers and disturbances of network control, both of which could seriously damage the entire network. We then propose a novel conceptual model of a secure photonic network by introducing a quantum key distribution (QKD) network to its legacy structure. Secure keys generated by the QKD network are managed by key management agents (KMAs) and used to encrypt not only user data but also control signals. The KMAs cooperate with the generalized multiprotocol label-switching controller for secure path provisioning and drive photonic and modern crypto engines in appropriate combinations. Finally, we present a roadmap of a deployment scenario, starting from niche applications such as mission critical and business applications and the next. Digital cinema distribution through a photonic network is presented as an example of a niche application.
We address emerging threats to the security of photonic networks as these networks become heterogeneous being opened to the upper layers, multi-operator, and end users. We review the potential threats, mainly loss of the confidentiality of user data transmitted through optical fibres and disturbances of network control, both of which could seriously damage the entire network. We then propose a novel conceptual model of a secure photonic network by introducing a quantum key distribution (QKD) network to its legacy structure. Secure keys generated by the QKD network are managed by key management agents (KMAs) and used to encrypt not only user data but also control signals. The KMAs cooperate with the Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) controller for secure path provisioning and drive photonic and modern crypto engines in appropriate combinations. Finally, we present a roadmap of a deployment scenario, starting from niche applications such as mission critical and business applications.
The burgeoning Internet and Internet-of-Things (IoT) sectors necessitate robust cryptographic methods to ensure data security, integrity, and authentication over unsecured networks. Traditional public key cryptography, reliant on computationally hard problems, faces threats from quantum computing advancements. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) presents a solution through the generation of unconditionally secure cryptographic keys using quantum mechanics. This paper explores the enhancement of QKD protocols to establish secure end-to-end communication in photonic networks. The proposed method involves a QKD system that generates two types of weak quantum signals: one with randomly varied intensity, polarization, or phase, and another with random frequency fluctuations. These signals are used to establish a shared key between a transmitter (Alice) and multiple receivers (Bobs) by measuring the quantum states. This dual signal approach enhances protection against Photon Number Splitting attacks and improves key length. Key Management Agents (KMAs) securely handle QKD-generated keys for data encryption before transmission, ensuring only intended recipients can decrypt the messages. The system leverages optical fiber or free-space optical links to transmit weak quantum signals and synchronization signals, facilitating key distribution even under existing network constraints. The proposed architecture allows for the secure exchange of cryptographic keys between Alice and multiple Bobs, ensuring private and authenticated communication over public channels. The approach mitigates potential eavesdropping by enabling the detection of any interception attempts through Quantum Bit Error Rate (QBER) estimation. This study underscores the promise of QKD as a foundational element of future communication systems, providing uncrackable quantum keys and paving the way for secure photonic networks. Incremental advancements in quantum devices, networking, and infrastructure are essential to fully realize QKD's potential for robust cryptographic security.
Secure networks composed of optical networks and quantum key distribution (QKD) are considered in this paper. A network layer structure is defined to focus on issues important with respect to the QKD network layer that controls QKD links and supplies a secure key for message transmission. A multiple-user QKD network layer can be constructed with timing synchronization, secure key sharing between indirectly connected nodes with switched QKD systems and key relays, and key management to control the volume of key generation and supply in response to the demand from optical network nodes.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) constitutes a symmetric secret key negotiation protocol capable of maintaining information-theoretic security. Given the recent advances in QKD networks, they have evolved from academic research to some preliminary applications. A QKD network consists of two or more QKD nodes interconnected by optical fiber or free space links. The secret keys are negotiated between any pair of QKD nodes, and then they can be delivered to multiple users in various areas for ensuring long-term protection and forward secrecy. We commence by introducing the QKD basics, followed by reviewing the development of QKD networks and their implementation in practice. Subsequently, we describe the general QKD network architecture, its elements, as well as its interfaces and protocols. Next, we provide an in-depth overview of the associated physical layer and network layer solutions, followed by the standardization efforts as well as the application scenarios associated with QKD networks. Finally, we discuss the potential future research directions and provide design guidelines for QKD networks.
We present practical GHz-clocked QKD systems, next generation entanglement QKD technologies, and QKD platform to manage the secure keys and to support a variety of applications. We then show the intrinsic limit of QKD, i.e., a key rate bound, and discuss how to realize the provable (information theoretic) security with a larger secrecy capacity over longer distances. In particular, we present a basic theory of physical layer cryptography, which characterizes the secrecy capacity, and engineers the tradeoff between the efficiency of reliable transmission and secrecy of communication. We introduce a concept to unify these schemes in photonic network, referred to as quantum photonic network. Future issues for realizing this new network paradigm are discussed.
The threat quantum computers pose to classical public-key cryptography motivates the deployment of quantum-safe communication for critical infrastructure such as healthcare, finance, and energy systems. Quantum key distribution (QKD) and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) offer complementary security guarantees, information-theoretic key exchange and quantum-resistant end-to-end authentication that can be combined in a layered architecture. Here, we demonstrate a field-deployed quantum-secure network integrating entanglement-based QKD with end-to-end PQC over 140 km of installed fiber in Thuringia, Germany, connecting a rural health kiosk to a university hospital via a trusted-node architecture comprising heterogeneous underground and aerial fiber links. Unlike conventional deployments that rely on a dedicated key management system to forward keys to applications, our architecture injects QKD keys directly into standard Linux-based VPN tunnels between adjacent nodes, while PQC secures the communication end-to-end, remaining fully compatible with existing infrastructure and software. Polarization-entangled photon pairs were generated at 810 nm and 1550 nm, with the telecom photon transmitted over deployed fiber. Active polarization stabilization and dispersion compensation preserve the entanglement and enable 22 days of continuous, fully autonomous operation, further underscoring the technological maturity of entanglement-based QKD approaches in a real-world fiber environment. Although the two deployed links were operated during separate rather than concurrent periods, the predominantly aerial link exhibited markedly greater instability, with QBER variations most strongly correlated with wind speed. The generated keys secured a telemedicine proof-of-concept without modifying existing medical systems, demonstrating a practical framework for quantum-safe critical infrastructures.