Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Security Limitations of Classical-Client Delegated Quantum Computing

Christian Badertscher, Alexandru Cojocaru, Léo Colisson, Elham Kashefi, Dominik Leichtle, Mantri, Atul, Petros Wallden

Published Dec 7, 2020• 18 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

Secure delegated quantum computing allows a computationally weak client to outsource an arbitrary quantum computation to an untrusted quantum server in a privacy-preserving manner. One of the promising candidates to achieve classical delegation of quantum computation is classical-client remote state preparation ($RSP_{CC}$), where a client remotely prepares a quantum state using a classical channel. However, the privacy loss incurred by employing $RSP_{CC}$ as a sub-module is unclear. In this work, we investigate this question using the Constructive Cryptography framework by Maurer and Renner (ICS'11). We first identify the goal of $RSP_{CC}$ as the construction of ideal RSP resources from classical channels and then reveal the security limitations of using $RSP_{CC}$. First, we uncover a fundamental relationship between constructing ideal RSP resources (from classical channels) and the task of cloning quantum states. Any classically constructed ideal RSP resource must leak to the server the full classical description (possibly in an encoded form) of the generated quantum state, even if we target computational security only. As a consequence, we find that the realization of common RSP resources, without weakening their guarantees drastically, is impossible due to the no-cloning theorem. Second, the above result does not rule out that a specific $RSP_{CC}$ protocol can replace the quantum channel at least in some contexts, such as the Universal Blind Quantum Computing (UBQC) protocol of Broadbent et al. (FOCS '09). However, we show that the resulting UBQC protocol cannot maintain its proven composable security as soon as $RSP_{CC}$ is used as a subroutine. Third, we show that replacing the quantum channel of the above UBQC protocol by the $RSP_{CC}$ protocol QFactory of Cojocaru et al. (Asiacrypt '19), preserves the weaker, game-based, security of UBQC.

Related papers

Classical secure delegation of quantum computations

Alexandru Cojocaru

The rapid evolution of quantum technologies is likely to cause major shifts in the mainstream computing landscape. In order to fully reach their potential in a wide base accessible to any user, remote access of quantum computers and manipulation of data with strong privacy and integrity guarantees are essential. Consider a setting where a client having a fully classical computer wants to determine the result of some quantum computation, but lacks the necessary resources to perform the computation herself. She has access to a more powerful server which has quantum resources and can solve the problem and send the outcome back to the client. However, the client does not trust the powerful server, so she needs to find a way to hide her data. Therefore, the main question that arises is how can we guarantee the client’s privacy of the input and even the computation itself against the server possessing quantum computational capabilities. In the present thesis, we study this problem, denoted here as classical secure delegation of quantum computations (CSDQC) between a fully classical honest client and a quantum untrusted server. We focus on different models of security, analyzing the limitations and potential of each of the settings. Concretely, we first study the CSDQC problem under information-theoretic security. We analyse two categories of quantum computations, decision and sampling problems and in both cases we provide evidence indicating the impossibility of achieving information-theoretic security. Subsequently, we consider relaxing the security framework and specifically, we will analyze this task in the computational security setting (against quantum polynomial-time adversaries). As a result, in the second part of the thesis we put forward the remote state preparation as a key component that would allow us to achieve classical secure delegation of universal quantum computations. We present two protocols realizing the remote state preparation primitive assuming only a classical channel between client and server. The first candidate is shown to be secure in the honest-but-curious model, while the second candidate is proven secure against the server in the malicious setting. The security of both constructions relies on the hardness of the learning with errors problem. Finally, given the important role the remote state preparation plays not only in CSDQC, but also in other quantum communication protocols, we analyze its composable security to determine the privacy loss as a result of using remote state preparation as a sub-module in different protocols.

•Jul 23, 2021•0 citations

Blind quantum computing with two almost identical states

Vedran Dunjko, Elham Kashefi

The question of whether a fully classical client can delegate a quantum computation to an untrusted quantum server while fully maintaining privacy (blindness) is one of the big open questions in quantum cryptography. Both yes and no answers have important practical and theoretical consequences, and the question seems genuinely hard. The state-of-the-art approaches to securely delegating quantum computation, without exception, rely on granting the client modest quantum powers, or on additional, non-communicating, quantum servers. In this work, we consider the single server setting, and push the boundaries of the minimal devices of the client, which still allow for blind quantum computation. Our approach is based on the observation that, in many blind quantum computing protocols, the "quantum" part of the protocol, from the clients perspective, boils down to the establishing classical-quantum correlations (independent from the computation) between the client and the server, following which the steering of the computation itself requires only classical communication. Here, we abstract this initial preparation phase, specifically for the Universal Blind Quantum Computation protocol of Broadbent, Fitzsimons and Kashefi. We identify sufficient criteria on the powers of the client, which still allow for secure blind quantum computation. We work in a universally composable framework, and provide a series of protocols, where each step reduces the number of differing states the client needs to be able to prepare. As the limit of such reductions, we show that the capacity to prepare just two pure states, which have an arbitrarily high overlap (thus are arbitrarily close to identical), suffices for efficient and secure blind quantum computation.

arXiv:1604.01586•Apr 6, 2016•17 citations

On the Possibility of Classical Client Blind Quantum Computing

Alexandru Cojocaru, Léo Colisson, Elham Kashefi +1 more

Classical client remote state preparation (CC − RSP) is a primitive where a fully classical party (client) can instruct the preparation of a sequence of random quantum states on some distant party (server) in a way that the description is known to the client but remains hidden from the server. This primitive has many applications, most prominently, it makes blind quantum computing possible for classical clients. In this work, we give a protocol for classical client remote state preparation, that requires minimal resources. The protocol is proven secure against honest-but-curious servers and any malicious third party in a game-based security framework. We provide an instantiation of a trapdoor (approximately) 2-regular family of functions whose security is based on the hardness of the Learning-With-Errors problem, including a first analysis of the set of usable parameters. We also run an experimentation on IBM’s quantum cloud using a toy function. This is the first proof-of-principle experiment of classical client remote state preparation.

arXiv:1802.08759•Cryptography•Jan 24, 2021•20 citations

Impossibility of perfectly-secure one-round delegated quantum computing for classical client

Tomoyuki Morimae, Takeshi Koshiba

Blind quantum computing protocols enable a client, who can generate or measure single-qubit states, to delegate quantum computing to a remote quantum server protecting the client's privacy (i.e., input, output, and program). With current technologies, generations or measurements of single-qubit states are not too much burden for the client. In other words, secure delegated quantum computing is possible for ``almost classical" clients. However, is it possible for a ``completely classical" client? Here we consider a one-round perfectly-secure delegated quantum computing, and show that the protocol cannot satisfy both the correctness (i.e., the correct result is obtained when the server is honest) and the perfect blindness (i.e., the client's privacy is completely protected) simultaneously unless BQP is in NP. Since BQP is not believed to be in NP, the result suggests the impossibility of the one-round perfectly-secure delegated quantum computing.

arXiv:1407.1636•Quantum Information and Computation•Mar 1, 2019•15 citations

Eavesdropper-Blind Remote State Preparation and Applications to Quantum Public-Key Encryption

Kaniuar Bacho, Alexandru Cojocaru

Remote state preparation (RSP) is a central primitive in quantum cryptography, enabling classical parties to remotely construct quantum states using only classical communication. As a result, RSP serves as a key building block in numerous protocols involving classical clients and quantum servers, allowing classical parties to leverage the advantages offered by powerful quantum computers. All known constructions of RSP rely on strong cryptographic assumptions, typically variants of trapdoor claw-free functions (TCFs). In this work, we initiate the study of a weaker form of remote state preparation, which we call eavesdropper-blind remote state preparation (EB-RSP). Informally, EB-RSP requires blindness only against external observers who see the transcript of the honest protocol, rather than against the quantum server itself. Despite this relaxed adversarial model, the resulting notion remains sufficient for useful cryptographic applications. In particular, we show that two-message EB-RSP already suffices to construct quantum public-key encryption with classical public keys and quantum ciphertexts. We then construct two-message EB-RSP protocols from specific one-way group actions, yielding a first step toward RSP-type primitives based on assumptions that do not rely on trapdoors. Finally, we observe that existing RSP constructions are likely naturally adaptable to the two-message EB-RSP notion; we demonstrate this explicitly for a concrete TCF-based RSP construction.

quant-pharXiv:2608.21241•Aug 24, 2026•0 citations

On the possibility of classical client blind quantum computing

Alexandru Cojocaru, Léo Colisson, Elham Kashefi +1 more

We define the functionality of delegated pseudo-secret random qubit generator (PSRQG), where a classical client can instruct the preparation of a sequence of random qubits at some distant party. Their classical description is (computationally) unknown to any other party (including the distant party preparing them) but known to the client. We emphasize the unique feature that no quantum communication is required to implement PSRQG. This enables classical clients to perform a class of quantum communication protocols with only a public classical channel with a quantum server. A key such example is the delegated universal blind quantum computing. Using our functionality one could achieve a purely classical-client computational secure verifiable delegated universal quantum computing (also referred to as verifiable blind quantum computation). We give a concrete protocol (QFactory) implementing PSRQG, using the Learning-With-Errors problem to construct a trapdoor one-way function with certain desired properties (quantum-safe, two-regular, collision-resistant). We then prove the security in the Quantum-Honest-But-Curious setting and briefly discuss the extension to the malicious case.

•Aug 27, 2018•7 citations
Secure delegated quantum computing allows a computationally weak client to outsource an arbitrary quantum computation to an untrusted quantum server in a privacy-preserving manner. One of the promising candidates to achieve classical delegation of quantum computation is classical-client remote state preparation (RSPCCRSP_{CC}RSPCC​), where a client remotely prepares a quantum state using a classical channel. However, the privacy loss incurred by employing RSPCCRSP_{CC}RSPCC​ as a sub-module is unclear. In this work, we investigate this question using the Constructive Cryptography framework by Maurer and Renner (ICS'11). We first identify the goal of RSPCCRSP_{CC}RSPCC​ as the construction of ideal RSP resources from classical channels and then reveal the security limitations of using RSPCCRSP_{CC}RSPCC​. First, we uncover a fundamental relationship between constructing ideal RSP resources (from classical channels) and the task of cloning quantum states. Any classically constructed ideal RSP resource must leak to the server the full classical description (possibly in an encoded form) of the generated quantum state, even if we target computational security only. As a consequence, we find that the realization of common RSP resources, without weakening their guarantees drastically, is impossible due to the no-cloning theorem. Second, the above result does not rule out that a specific RSPCCRSP_{CC}RSPCC​ protocol can replace the quantum channel at least in some contexts, such as the Universal Blind Quantum Computing (UBQC) protocol of Broadbent et al. (FOCS '09). However, we show that the resulting UBQC protocol cannot maintain its proven composable security as soon as RSPCCRSP_{CC}RSPCC​ is used as a subroutine. Third, we show that replacing the quantum channel of the above UBQC protocol by the RSPCCRSP_{CC}RSPCC​ protocol QFactory of Cojocaru et al. (Asiacrypt '19), preserves the weaker, game-based, security of UBQC.
The rapid evolution of quantum technologies is likely to cause major shifts in the mainstream computing landscape. In order to fully reach their potential in a wide base accessible to any user, remote access of quantum computers and manipulation of data with strong privacy and integrity guarantees are essential. Consider a setting where a client having a fully classical computer wants to determine the result of some quantum computation, but lacks the necessary resources to perform the computation herself. She has access to a more powerful server which has quantum resources and can solve the problem and send the outcome back to the client. However, the client does not trust the powerful server, so she needs to find a way to hide her data. Therefore, the main question that arises is how can we guarantee the client’s privacy of the input and even the computation itself against the server possessing quantum computational capabilities. In the present thesis, we study this problem, denoted here as classical secure delegation of quantum computations (CSDQC) between a fully classical honest client and a quantum untrusted server. We focus on different models of security, analyzing the limitations and potential of each of the settings. Concretely, we first study the CSDQC problem under information-theoretic security. We analyse two categories of quantum computations, decision and sampling problems and in both cases we provide evidence indicating the impossibility of achieving information-theoretic security. Subsequently, we consider relaxing the security framework and specifically, we will analyze this task in the computational security setting (against quantum polynomial-time adversaries). As a result, in the second part of the thesis we put forward the remote state preparation as a key component that would allow us to achieve classical secure delegation of universal quantum computations. We present two protocols realizing the remote state preparation primitive assuming only a classical channel between client and server. The first candidate is shown to be secure in the honest-but-curious model, while the second candidate is proven secure against the server in the malicious setting. The security of both constructions relies on the hardness of the learning with errors problem. Finally, given the important role the remote state preparation plays not only in CSDQC, but also in other quantum communication protocols, we analyze its composable security to determine the privacy loss as a result of using remote state preparation as a sub-module in different protocols.
The question of whether a fully classical client can delegate a quantum computation to an untrusted quantum server while fully maintaining privacy (blindness) is one of the big open questions in quantum cryptography. Both yes and no answers have important practical and theoretical consequences, and the question seems genuinely hard. The state-of-the-art approaches to securely delegating quantum computation, without exception, rely on granting the client modest quantum powers, or on additional, non-communicating, quantum servers. In this work, we consider the single server setting, and push the boundaries of the minimal devices of the client, which still allow for blind quantum computation. Our approach is based on the observation that, in many blind quantum computing protocols, the "quantum" part of the protocol, from the clients perspective, boils down to the establishing classical-quantum correlations (independent from the computation) between the client and the server, following which the steering of the computation itself requires only classical communication. Here, we abstract this initial preparation phase, specifically for the Universal Blind Quantum Computation protocol of Broadbent, Fitzsimons and Kashefi. We identify sufficient criteria on the powers of the client, which still allow for secure blind quantum computation. We work in a universally composable framework, and provide a series of protocols, where each step reduces the number of differing states the client needs to be able to prepare. As the limit of such reductions, we show that the capacity to prepare just two pure states, which have an arbitrarily high overlap (thus are arbitrarily close to identical), suffices for efficient and secure blind quantum computation.
Classical client remote state preparation (CC − RSP) is a primitive where a fully classical party (client) can instruct the preparation of a sequence of random quantum states on some distant party (server) in a way that the description is known to the client but remains hidden from the server. This primitive has many applications, most prominently, it makes blind quantum computing possible for classical clients. In this work, we give a protocol for classical client remote state preparation, that requires minimal resources. The protocol is proven secure against honest-but-curious servers and any malicious third party in a game-based security framework. We provide an instantiation of a trapdoor (approximately) 2-regular family of functions whose security is based on the hardness of the Learning-With-Errors problem, including a first analysis of the set of usable parameters. We also run an experimentation on IBM’s quantum cloud using a toy function. This is the first proof-of-principle experiment of classical client remote state preparation.
Blind quantum computing protocols enable a client, who can generate or measure single-qubit states, to delegate quantum computing to a remote quantum server protecting the client's privacy (i.e., input, output, and program). With current technologies, generations or measurements of single-qubit states are not too much burden for the client. In other words, secure delegated quantum computing is possible for ``almost classical" clients. However, is it possible for a ``completely classical" client? Here we consider a one-round perfectly-secure delegated quantum computing, and show that the protocol cannot satisfy both the correctness (i.e., the correct result is obtained when the server is honest) and the perfect blindness (i.e., the client's privacy is completely protected) simultaneously unless BQP is in NP. Since BQP is not believed to be in NP, the result suggests the impossibility of the one-round perfectly-secure delegated quantum computing.
Remote state preparation (RSP) is a central primitive in quantum cryptography, enabling classical parties to remotely construct quantum states using only classical communication. As a result, RSP serves as a key building block in numerous protocols involving classical clients and quantum servers, allowing classical parties to leverage the advantages offered by powerful quantum computers. All known constructions of RSP rely on strong cryptographic assumptions, typically variants of trapdoor claw-free functions (TCFs). In this work, we initiate the study of a weaker form of remote state preparation, which we call eavesdropper-blind remote state preparation (EB-RSP). Informally, EB-RSP requires blindness only against external observers who see the transcript of the honest protocol, rather than against the quantum server itself. Despite this relaxed adversarial model, the resulting notion remains sufficient for useful cryptographic applications. In particular, we show that two-message EB-RSP already suffices to construct quantum public-key encryption with classical public keys and quantum ciphertexts. We then construct two-message EB-RSP protocols from specific one-way group actions, yielding a first step toward RSP-type primitives based on assumptions that do not rely on trapdoors. Finally, we observe that existing RSP constructions are likely naturally adaptable to the two-message EB-RSP notion; we demonstrate this explicitly for a concrete TCF-based RSP construction.
We define the functionality of delegated pseudo-secret random qubit generator (PSRQG), where a classical client can instruct the preparation of a sequence of random qubits at some distant party. Their classical description is (computationally) unknown to any other party (including the distant party preparing them) but known to the client. We emphasize the unique feature that no quantum communication is required to implement PSRQG. This enables classical clients to perform a class of quantum communication protocols with only a public classical channel with a quantum server. A key such example is the delegated universal blind quantum computing. Using our functionality one could achieve a purely classical-client computational secure verifiable delegated universal quantum computing (also referred to as verifiable blind quantum computation). We give a concrete protocol (QFactory) implementing PSRQG, using the Learning-With-Errors problem to construct a trapdoor one-way function with certain desired properties (quantum-safe, two-regular, collision-resistant). We then prove the security in the Quantum-Honest-But-Curious setting and briefly discuss the extension to the malicious case.