A software-defined IoT network is integrated with fibre-based QKD technology to provide the IoT devices with quantum-secure keys to enhance their battery lifetime. Experimental demonstration reveals an 18% energy efficiency improvement compared to the standard device key generation.
The rapid proliferation of Internet of Things devices (IoT) across healthcare, smart homes, transportation, and industrial automation has led to an unprecedented exchange of sensitive data over wireless channels, exposing these networks to cyberattacks, eavesdropping, and unauthorized access.Conventional cryptographic techniques, which rely on computational hardness assumptions, are increasingly vulnerable to the emerging capabilities of quantum computing.This paper explores the application of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) as a means of enabling secure and dependable data communication for IoT devices.By exploiting the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, QKD allows two communicating parties to generate a shared secret key while inherently detecting any attempt at interception.The proposed approach aims to enhance data privacy, ensure secure authentication, preserve confidentiality, and safeguard IoT systems against present and future quantum enabled threats.The integration of quantum based security techniques into existing IoT infrastructure is examined, along with its implications for improving the reliability and trustworthiness of wireless IoT communication systems.This work positions Quantum Enhanced Secure Data Communication as a forward looking security solution for next generation IoT networks.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a cryptographic technique that creates a secure channel of communication between two parties by applying the ideas of quantum physics. QKD ensures the confidentiality and integrity of data transmission by providing a unique key that the intended recipient can only access. Secure communication has become paramount with the proliferation of IoT (Internet of Things) devices. IoT devices have confined computational power and storage, making them vulnerable to attacks. QKD provides a safe and efficient solution for securing communication between IoT devices. This paper examines how QKD can be utilized in IoT, discussing its benefits and limitations, followed by the discussion on various QKD protocols suitable for IoT devices. In addition, the paper demonstrates that QKD is a promising solution for securing IoT communication, and its adoption significantly enhances the security and reliability of IoT networks.
This paper analyzes the performance of two quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, SARG04 and BB84, under different random quantum noise levels. It also looks at the protocols’ potential applications in Internet of Things (IoT) device security for a proposed architecture. In the proposed model, long-range photons are inherently vulnerable to quantum noise, which complicates real-world QKD implementations and jeopardizes the reliability and resilience of the secret key generation process. By simulating different noise situations, we evaluate the overall security performance, mistake rates, and key generation rates of the BB84 and SARG04 protocols. Our findings suggest that although both protocols can withstand moderate noise levels, SARG04 and BB84 perform similarly regarding secure key length. We also address the consequences of these results for the security of the Internet of Things, highlighting QKD’s role in minimizing vulnerabilities related to conventional cryptography techniques. QKD integration can improve data security and privacy in Internet of Things frameworks, offering a viable way to protect sensitive data in increasingly networked devices. This work significantly contributes to the current efforts in quantum cryptography research by providing insightful advice on protocol selection and secure IoT connectivity implementation techniques.
As the Internet of Things (IoT) networks proliferate, ensuring secure and efficient communication becomes increasingly critical. This paper introduces an enhanced security framework for the MQTT protocol by integrating Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), addressing the vulnerabilities of traditional cryptographic methods. Leveraging the unique properties of QKD, the proposed framework establishes a secure communication channel resilient to eavesdropping and quantum attacks. The proposed framework is evaluated using standard security metrics, demonstrating significant advancements in confidentiality (e.g., unbreakable key exchange), integrity, and authentication. The research findings reveal that integrating QKD considerably improves security while preserving reasonable performance and resource efficiency, offering a strong security for MQTT-based IoT network.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) enables information-theoretic secure key exchange by exploiting fundamental quantum phenomena such as superposition and no-cloning. Classical QKD protocols (e.g., BB84) guarantee that any eavesdropping attempt introduces detectable disturbances, but they typically assume stable, high-quality channels and unconstrained devices. In contrast, Internet of Things (IoT) networks present a radically different environment: devices have limited processing power, minimal onboard memory, strict energy budgets, and communicate over highly variable wireless links subject to interference and rapid fading. These constraints lead to elevated quantum bit error rates (QBER), frequent key reconciliation failures, and prohibitive energy costs, all of which jeopardize practical QKD deployment. To address these challenges, we propose an AI-powered QKD protocol specifically optimized for IoT scenarios. Our approach integrates three AI modules: (1) a gradient-boosted regression channel estimator that predicts instantaneous link transmittance using lightweight sensor data and historical photon counts; (2) a reinforcement learning (RL) agent that adaptively tunes photon intensity, basis-selection probability, and reconciliation block size to balance key rate and error rate; and (3) a convolutional neural network (CNN) classifier that selects the optimal Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) code rate based on real-time noise characteristics. We simulate a star-topology IoT network of 50 battery-powered devices communicating over 5 km polarization-encoded links with realistic urban loss (0.1–0.3 dB/km) and environmental noise. Compared against a static BB84 baseline, our AI-enhanced protocol reduces average QBER from 4.5% to 2.9%, increases secure key rate from 12.5 kbps to 16.0 kbps, lowers latency by 22%, and reduces energy consumption per key bit by 18%. These improvements persist across channel conditions and device heterogeneity, demonstrating robustness.
The fast development of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has introduced unknown security issues in the networked systems. Classical cryptography methods are restricted to sophisticated attacks and the emerging threat of quantum computing. This survey paper presents the overview of quantum key distribution (QKD) use in IoT settings, systematic review of the research trend, technological solutions, challenges, and future developments. We examine more than 150 published in-between 2018-2025 research papers, categorize the current QKD-IoT solutions, and uncover gaps in the research. We find that hybrid QKD-classical cryptography designs provide promise of realistic IoT implementation and edge-based quantum gateways emerge as an architecture of scalable implementation.