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Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Pacific Rim (CLEO-PR)

Quantum secure authentication system experiment using adaptive optics

Masahito Oya, Naoto Namekata, Jun Nishikawa, Shuichiro Inoue

Published Jul 1, 2017• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum secure authentication (QSA) is a novel authentication technique to prevent replicating a physical key and digital-emulating by an unauthorized access. We have been developing the QSA system using deformable mirrors. Thanks to an efficient optical setup and adaptive optics methods, a system experiment of the QSA was successfully demonstrated with an error probability of 3.7×10−3.

DOI
10.1109/cleopr.2017.8118926

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Quantum secure authentication (QSA) is a novel authentication technique to prevent replicating a physical key and digital-emulating by an unauthorized access. We have been developing the QSA system using deformable mirrors. Thanks to an efficient optical setup and adaptive optics methods, a system experiment of the QSA was successfully demonstrated with an error probability of 3.7×10−3.
Authentication of persons and objects is a crucial aspect of security. We experimentally demonstrate quantum-secure authentication (QSA) of a classical multiple-scattering key. The key is authenticated by illuminating it with a light pulse containing fewer photons than spatial degrees of freedom and verifying the spatial shape of the reflected light. Quantum-physical principles forbid an attacker to fully characterize the incident light pulse. Therefore, he cannot emulate the key by digitally constructing the expected optical response, even if all information about the key is publicly known. QSA uses a key that cannot be copied due to technological limitations and is quantum-secure against digital emulation. Moreover, QSA does not depend on secrecy of stored data, does not depend on unproven mathematical assumptions, and is straightforward to implement with current technology.
Quantum Secure Authentication (QSA) is a method recently developed to authenticate a multiple-scattering key [1]. Previous implementations only showed proof-of-principle setups. We present a design of a compact and robust demonstration device for Quantum Secure Authentication. The challenge and response formation is performed by digital micromirror devices in a super pixel configuration [2]. The setup is designed to be able to operate in the classical and quantum regime, in order to be used for key alignment as well as authentication measurements. Here we will discuss the design criteria and decisions and first experimental results. References [1] S. A. Goorden, M. Horstmann, A. P. Mosk, B. Škorić, and P. W. H. Pinkse, Optica 1, 421–424 (2014) [2] S. A. Goorden, J. Bertolotti, and A. P. Mosk, Opt. Express 22, 17999 - 18009 (2014)
We introduce Quantum Spectral Authentication (QSA), a symmetric-key entity-authentication and key-derivation protocol in which a remote endpoint proves it still holds a hidden planted state, an eigenstate of the challenge it can prepare, without revealing it. Each round issues a fresh public unitary challenge with its own planted state, and the endpoint returns an eigenphase feature from which both parties derive transcript-bound session material. QSA runs in two provisioning modes with materially different security: a seed mode, storing a classical seed that regenerates the planted state, and a state mode, holding only the physical register carrying it, non-copyable and consumed on use. We give a formal security model in which QSA is an identification scheme, prove mutual authentication under a single label-hiding assumption, and prove unconditionally that the published spectrum is near-uniform at the readout resolution, leaving at least m−1m-1m−1 bits of min-entropy per instance; state mode satisfies the assumption by construction. We develop a symmetric verifier-driven compiler compatible with low-depth quantum phase estimation, which also admits a fast path that recovers the label by an inverse-compiler measurement. Simulations show it is more noise-tolerant than an asymmetric alternative, and experiments on IBM ibm_fez provide a hardware sanity check.
In this paper, a key distribution protocol based on the integration of both classical and quantum cryptography is developed. Quantum cryptography is used for secure optical transmission which employs quantum mechanisms to distribute session keys. Classical cryptography provides convenient techniques that enable efficient user authentication and prevent denial of previous commitments. The proposed scheme is based on the RSA-TBOS signcryption scheme to achieve the combined functionality of a digital signature and encryption in an efficient manner. The transmitter generates a random session key, and applies the signcryption module to it. It therefore offers three services: privacy, authenticity and non-repudiation. The ciphertext is converted to binary bits then to qubits using a pre-shared random number between the transmitter and receiver. The session key is used later for secure transmission of messages over a public optical channel.
As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to expand rapidly, securing authentication and key exchange in Low-Power Wide-Area-Networks (LPWANs) like LoRaWAN has become increasingly critical. With the advent of quantum computing, traditional cryptographic techniques face significant threats, necessitating the exploration of quantum-resistant solutions. This research proposes a novel security mechanism that integrates Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) into the LoRaWAN to enhance device authentication. Since we don’t have real hardware, we have done simulation-based experiments. The simulation was implemented in Python using QuTiP [Quantum Toolbox] for quantum state modeling, NumPy for random generation [qubits], & Matplotlib for visualization. The experiment is designed to compare the security robustness of LoRaWAN Device-Join attempts in 3 scenarios: 1. Quantum attack on LoRaWAN Key Exchange Process in the existing framework, 2. Key exchange without eavesdropper in the proposed framework, & 3. Key exchange with the presence of eavesdropper in the proposed framework. The experiment involves encoding qubits in diagonal bases and transmitting them between parties. An intercept-resend attack is modeled to simulate eavesdropping and the protocol includes key reconciliation through basis comparison. The Quantum Bit Error Rate (QBER) is calculated to evaluate the integrity of the exchanged key, with a predefined threshold determining whether to accept or reject a device's join request. Over 50 simulation trials, and results, this proposed framework consistently demonstrated high rejection rates in the presence of eavesdropping; indicating its effectiveness in detecting and preventing unauthorized access. By embedding QKD into the LoRaWAN device-join process, this proposed approach establishes a secure, quantum-resilient foundation for authentication in resource-constrained IoT environments, effectively addressing the security challenges posed by the quantum era.