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Письма в журнал технической физики

Study of the vulnerability of device based on collapsing mirror used in quantum key distribution systems

S. V. Alferov, Kirill E. Bugai, Паргачёв Иван Андреевич, Ya. V. Ivanova

Published Jan 1, 2023• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

An attack on equipment with laser damage of optical components called " laser damage attack", can allow the eavesdropper to reduce the attenuation of optical elements and compromise distributed keys. A method of protection against this attack based on a device with a collapsing mirror has been considered. The conclusion based on experimental data about the effectiveness of the proposed method of protection has been made.. Keywords: quantum key distribution, laser damage attack, eavesdropper, symmetric cryptography.

DOI
10.21883/tpl.2023.03.55682.19399

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An attack on equipment with laser damage of optical components called " laser damage attack", can allow the eavesdropper to reduce the attenuation of optical elements and compromise distributed keys. A method of protection against this attack based on a device with a collapsing mirror has been considered. The conclusion based on experimental data about the effectiveness of the proposed method of protection has been made.. Keywords: quantum key distribution, laser damage attack, eavesdropper, symmetric cryptography.
Quantum key distribution systems are accessible to an eavesdropper; i.e., the eavesdropper can attack not only quantum states but also the equipment. In the former case, vulnerabilities are removed by fundamental constraints (e.g., no-cloning theorem) or theoretical foundations for their removal exist. In the latter case, vulnerability is determined by the practical implementation of equipment. An attack with laser damage of optical components called laser damage attack can allow the eavesdropper to reduce the attenuation of optical elements and compromise distributed keys. In this work, a method based on neutral optical filters has been described for protection from laser damage attack against optical components. A scheme imitating actions of the eavesdropper in the process of laser damage attack has been presented. An approach has been proposed to calculate the parameters of optical elements after the attack. Processes occurring in samples exposed to intense laser radiation have been analyzed. The analysis of experimental data has indicated the stability and constraints of neutral optical filters used in quantum key distribution systems for protection from laser damage attack.
Many quantum key distribution systems employ a laser followed by an optical attenuator to prepare weak coherent states in the source. Their mean photon number must be precalibrated to guarantee the security of key distribution. Here we experimentally show that this calibration can be broken with a high-power laser attack. We test four fiber-optic attenuator types used in quantum key distribution systems, and find that two of them exhibit a permanent decrease in attenuation after laser damage. This results in higher mean photon numbers in the prepared states and may allow an eavesdropper to compromise the key.
The optical beam splitter is an essential device used for decoding in quantum key distribution. The impact of optical beam splitters on the security of quantum key distribution was studied, and it was found that the realistic device characteristics closely influence the error rate introduced by the wavelength-dependent attack on optical beam splitters. A countermeasure, combining device selection and error rate over-threshold alarms, is proposed to protect against such attacks. Beam splitters made of mirror coatings are recommended, and the variation of splitting ratio should be restricted to lower than 1 dB at 1260–1700 nm. For the partial attack scenario where the eavesdropper attacks only a portion of the quantum signal, a modified secure key rate formula is proposed to eliminate the revealed information of the attacked portion. Numerical results show that the QKD system adopting this countermeasure exhibits good performance with a secure key rate of over 10 kbps at 100 km and a maximum transmission distance of over 150 km, with only a small difference from the no-attack scenario. Additionally, a countermeasure to monitor the light intensity of different wavelengths is proposed to protect against the wavelength-dependent attack on optical beam splitters.
The article is focused on research of an attack on the quantum key distribution system and proposes a countermeasure method. Particularly noteworthy is that this is not a classic attack on a quantum protocol. We describe an attack on the process of calibration. Results of the research show that quantum key distribution systems have vulnerabilities not only in the protocols, but also in other vital system components. The described type of attack does not affect the cryptographic strength of the received keys and does not point to the vulnerability of the quantum key distribution protocol. We also propose a method for autocompensating optical communication system development, which protects synchronization from unauthorized access. The proposed method is based on the use of sync pulses attenuated to a photon level in the process of detecting a time interval with a signal. The paper presents the results of experimental studies that show the discrepancies between the theoretical and real parameters of the system. The obtained data allow the length of the quantum channel to be calculated with high accuracy.