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International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks

Quantum Data Encryption as a Service on Demand: Eindhoven QKD Network Testbed

Thiago R. Raddo, Simon Rommel, Victor Land, Chigo M. Okonkwo, Idelfonso Tafur Monroy

Published Jul 1, 2019• 15 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The widespread acceptance and deployment of quantum key distribution (QKD) for data encryption requires a better understanding of the technology concerning device-to-system interfacing and network performance from current vendors. Despite the existence of a few QKD testbeds worldwide, they are neither open-access nor capable of validating components from different system and component vendors business cases. User trials in testbeds have yet to yield a robust, open business case. This paper introduces the open-access QKD testbed currently being developed in the Eindhoven region which will focus on the creation of an open environment for end-to-end validation of distinct business cases, QKD security proofs, and technology certification and standardization. At this site, a quantum-to-the-home network scenario for providing quantum encryption as a service on demand, for end-to-end security to end-users, is also proposed. It is expected that this testbed will lead to a better understanding of what further developments are required for current networks to be augmented with QKD.

DOI
10.1109/icton.2019.8840238

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The widespread acceptance and deployment of quantum key distribution (QKD) for data encryption requires a better understanding of the technology concerning device-to-system interfacing and network performance from current vendors. Despite the existence of a few QKD testbeds worldwide, they are neither open-access nor capable of validating components from different system and component vendors business cases. User trials in testbeds have yet to yield a robust, open business case. This paper introduces the open-access QKD testbed currently being developed in the Eindhoven region which will focus on the creation of an open environment for end-to-end validation of distinct business cases, QKD security proofs, and technology certification and standardization. At this site, a quantum-to-the-home network scenario for providing quantum encryption as a service on demand, for end-to-end security to end-users, is also proposed. It is expected that this testbed will lead to a better understanding of what further developments are required for current networks to be augmented with QKD.
Quantum Key Distribution technology is evaluated for carrier-grade provider networks in the Berlin OpenQKD testbed, which is operated by Deutsche Telekom. It includes the investigation of modular architectures, standardized interfaces and layered network structures containing quantum, key management, and application layers as well as hybrid technologies, consisting of Quantum Key Distribution and Post-Quantum Cryptography. The testbed incorporates field-installed wireline fiber links together with wireless radio connections, enabling carrier-grade use cases and proof of concepts under real telecommunication operating environments for various scenarios of layer interworking, vendor agnostic networking, and quantum security for network as well as end-to-end user applications.
The nature of network services has drastically changed in recent years. New demands require new capabilities, forcing the infrastructure to dynamically adapt to new scenarios. Novel network paradigms, such as software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization, have appeared to provide flexibility for network management and services. The reliance on software and commoditized hardware of these new paradigms introduces new security threats and, consequently, one of the most desired capabilities is a strengthened security layer when connecting remote premises. On the other hand, traditional cryptographic protocols are based on computational complexity assumptions. They rely on certain mathematical problems (e.g., integer factorization, discrete logarithms, or elliptic curves) that cannot be efficiently solved using conventional computing. This general assumption is being revisited because of quantum computing. The creation of a quantum computer would put these protocols at risk and force a general overhaul of network security. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a novel technique for providing synchronized sources of symmetric keys between two separated domains. Its security is based on the fundamental laws of quantum physics, which makes it impossible to copy the quantum states exchanged between both endpoints. Therefore, if implemented properly, QKD generates highly secure keys, immune to any algorithmic cryptanalysis. This work proposes a node design to provide QKD-enhanced security in end-to-end services and analyze the control plane requirements for service provisioning in transport networks. We define and demonstrate the necessary workflows and protocol extensions in different SDN scenarios, integrating the proposed solution into a virtual router providing QKD-enhanced IPsec sessions.
There is a great attention to quantum technologies in the ICT environment. In particular, when dealing with security matters, the most prominent quantum technology is Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). QKD allows the sharing of symmetric keys with information theoretic security (ITS, i.e. independently of the computational power of the attacker) between two remote network nodes. QKD is the only known method to share a key able to reach ITS. During the last two decades, there has been a tremendous technological progress in QKD research, that has led to the availability of QKD network demonstrators.Software Defined Networks (SDN) enables the automation of service provisioning within network operator infrastructures. With the advent of web-scale services and dynamic network requirements, operators can not anymore deploy their services based on manual intervention or using proprietary vendor solutions. Programmability is key in the next-generation network infrastructure and any new technology must be integrated with this paradigm. Let us highlight that this requirement is even more important with virtual environments, where a Virtual Network Function (VNF) can be deployed in any point-of-presence of the operator. The new 5G deployments will enable operators to have edge computing services supporting different capabilities, thus increasing even more the complexity to deliver services without any automation.In spite of the high potential of QKD, this technology has not yet found its path to wide adoption, commercialization and deployment. QKD is a physical technology that requires the existence of a quantum channel, a physical connection able to transmit quantum bits without perturbation, making hard its integration in networks. The aim of this document is to present how QKD can be deployed in next generation infrastructures, based on realistic scenarios. To do so, this paper describes the technological components of the solutions, as well as the use cases that motivate such effort. These use cases are described from a telecommunication provider's point of view, as they are the actors in charge of deploying QKD systems in their networks.
The development of telecommunications networks sets greater appetites to ensure secure communication flows. One of the approaches to providing information-theoretical levels of security is the application of quantum cryptography based on the quantum laws of nature. However, quantum networks differ significantly from existing networks in terms of their organization and availability of resources. This technology’s convergence largely depends on how it is integrated into existing networks and on the economic return of investment. Towards analyzing the latter, we consider the business model for accessing QKD network resources through a mechanism of pricing a QKD link upon a user’s request, with continuous fairness monitoring of the network utilization.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is an innovative technology allowing information-theoretically-secure key sharing among distant users relying only on fundamental rules of quantum physics, without assumptions about the computational power of the attacker [1]. Different variants of this technology are making their way into the market since several years and QKD testbeds are under deployment worldwide, for institutional and commercial use. Among the remaining challenges, its integration in existing infrastructure is a vital one, together with the hybridization with different technologies.