Abstract As a cutting-edge quantum communication technology, quantum key distribution(QKD) is based on the basic principles of quantum mechanics, which guarantees its unconditional security in theory. Any attempt to eavesdrop will leave traces. However, in practical applications, there are also security issues such as attackers disguising themselves as legitimate users to establish contact with both parties in communication, intercepting quantum key distribution information, or possibly obtaining keys by eavesdropping or tampering with information in classical channels. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a solution of introducing Chaum-Pedersen zero-knowledge proof and Gottesman-Chuang quantum signature in QKD. Before key distribution, the Chaum-Pedersen zero-knowledge proof is used to effectively verify the identities of both parties in communication, solve the problem of disguising as legitimate communication parties, and improve the security and credibility of communication. The Gottesman-Chuang quantum signature provides an unforgeable signature for messages or data in QKD, effectively preventing information from being tampered with or forged during transmission, and further strengthening the security of communication. This paper proves through simulation experiments of BB84 and E91 protocols that the security of enhanced QKD has been significantly improved by adding zero-knowledge proof and quantum signature. The key generation rate of enhanced BB84 has increased by 29.68\%, and that of enhanced E91 has increased by 28.26\%. The overall security performance has been significantly improved. Our solution has high superiority and feasibility.
Abstract As a cutting-edge quantum communication technology, quantum key distribution(QKD) is based on the basic principles of quantum mechanics, which guarantees its unconditional security in theory. Any attempt to eavesdrop will leave traces. However, in practical applications, there are also security issues such as attackers disguising themselves as legitimate users to establish contact with both parties in communication, intercepting quantum key distribution information, or possibly obtaining keys by eavesdropping or tampering with information in classical channels. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes a solution of introducing Chaum-Pedersen zero-knowledge proof and Gottesman-Chuang quantum signature in QKD. Before key distribution, the Chaum-Pedersen zero-knowledge proof is used to effectively verify the identities of both parties in communication, solve the problem of disguising as legitimate communication parties, and improve the security and credibility of communication. The Gottesman-Chuang quantum signature provides an unforgeable signature for messages or data in QKD, effectively preventing information from being tampered with or forged during transmission, and further strengthening the security of communication. This paper proves through simulation experiments of BB84 and E91 protocols that the security of enhanced QKD has been significantly improved by adding zero-knowledge proof and quantum signature. The key generation rate of enhanced BB84 has increased by 29.68%, and that of enhanced E91 has increased by 28.26%. The overall security performance has been significantly improved. Our solution has high superiority and feasibility.
Quantum computing poses significant threats to conventional cryptographic techniques such as RSA and AES, motivating the need for quantum secure communication methods. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offers information theoretic security based on fundamental quantum principles. This paper presents a simulation-based analysis of well-known QKD protocols, namely BB84, B92, and E91, using the IBM Qiskit framework. Realistic quantum channel effects, including noise, decoherence, and eavesdropping, are modeled to evaluate protocol performance. Key metrics such as error rate, secret key generation, and security characteristics are analyzed and compared. The study highlights practical challenges in QKD implementation, including hardware limitations and channel losses, and discusses insights toward scalable and robust quantum communication systems. The results support the feasibility of QKD as a promising solution for secure communication in the quantum era.
With the widespread adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies in healthcare systems, security issues related to user privacy during data transmission and sharing have become increasingly prominent. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a medical privacy protection and secure sharing scheme based on Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). The scheme integrates multiple technologies, including blockchain, smart contracts, zero-knowledge proofs, and Chebyshev chaotic mapping, to ensure secure data sharing and access control among multiple communication entities. Compared with existing solutions, our approach enhances key management security through quantum keys and improves communication resilience against attacks by leveraging chaotic systems. User identity privacy is protected via zero-knowledge proofs. Under the random oracle model, the security of the proposed scheme is formally proven. Moreover, comparative experiments with existing protocols demonstrate the scheme's comprehensive advantages in terms of security and performance, evaluated across throughput, computational overhead, communication overhead, and storage overhead.
As digital communication continues to scale globally, cybersecurity vulnerabilities are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Classical encryption methods—based on mathematical complexity—face obsolescence with the advancement of quantum computing, which can break widely used cryptosystems such as RSA and ECC through algorithms like Shor’s. Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) represents a paradigm shift by leveraging the laws of quantum mechanics, particularly photon entanglement and Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, to establish secure communication channels. Unlike classical cryptography, which relies on computational security, QKD guarantees information-theoretic security, making interception detectable and ineffective. This research paper evaluates entanglement-based protocols, including E91, BBM92, and emerging satellite-assisted QKD networks. The study includes a comparative performance analysis between classical cryptographic techniques and QKD across speed, security breach probability, latency, and scalability. A real-world case study of China’s Micius Quantum Satellite Network is used to illustrate practical deployment. Findings show that QKD reduces key interception vulnerability to near zero, while classical systems remain susceptible to brute-force and eavesdropping attacks. Data demonstrate that entanglement-based QKD outperforms other quantum protocols in long distance secure communication and offers a scalable foundation for the future quantum internet.
By utilizing concepts from quantum physics like entanglement and superposition, quantum cryptography is revolutionizing data security. This study focuses on the application of classical computational models for simulation-based analysis of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols, namely BB84 and E91. By taking use of quantum features, QKD makes secure key exchange possible and guarantees that any effort at eavesdropping may be identified because of the disruption of quantum states. In order to assess how quantum communication channels behave under different noise and attack scenarios, the study models and simulates these channels. The study evaluates the efficacy and robustness of BB84 and E91 protocols in practical network settings by contrasting their performance and error tolerance. In order to determine if integrating quantum-secured systems with current classical infrastructures is feasible, scalability issues are also investigated. These simulations’ outcomes shed light on feasible security levels, resource needs, and workable deployment tactics. In the end, this research highlights how quantum cryptography may advance the basis for next-generation secure information networks by bridging the gap between theoretical quantum security models and real-world communication systems with the use of strong simulation frameworks.
Cryptography is crucial to protect sensitive data. Traditional cryptography relies on mathematical difficulty to secure valuable data against intruders. However, with the rise of quantum computers, these assumptions are threatened as quantum computers can process information much faster. The security models need to be upgraded to withstand quantum computers. RSA and ECC, two common asymmetric cryptosystems, have been upgraded using post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Another solution might be to leverage the principles of quantum mechanics to ensure secure communication. The most common application of quantum cryptography is quantum key distribution (QKD), which solves the key exchange problem using quantum physics, complementing conventional cryptographic techniques by enabling secure key generation, while classical methods remain necessary for authentication and protocol implementation. QKD is secure in theory, but practical implementations often differ from theory due to imperfect devices. An intruder can find loopholes and vulnerabilities to attack the QKD systems and jeopardize its security. In this thesis, current knowledge of these attacks has been reviewed and simulated on two different QKD protocols. The simulations highlight the importance of researching the attacks and implementing countermeasures.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) is a method that enables secure communication between two parties by applying the ideas of quantum physics. By minimizing information leakage that can happen during the key generation process, privacy amplification is a technique used to improve the security of QKD. The technique involves processing the raw key obtained from QKD through a randomization procedure to remove any residual information that may have been leaked during the quantum transmission. While privacy amplification can significantly improve the security of QKD, the effectiveness of the technique is limited by the quality of the initial raw key. The BB84 QKD protocol has been improved with the proposed En-BB84 protocol, which includes built-in authentication and integrity checks. The En-BB84 protocol ensures secure distribution of secret keys and protects against tampering by attackers. Key distillation and error correction techniques are employed to extract a shorter, more secure shared secret key and correct errors introduced during qubit transmission. The protocol utilizes a four-state QKD approach, expanding on the traditional two-state scheme of BB84. A simulation of the En-BB84 protocol is demonstrated using a quantum circuit implemented with Qiskit in Python. The circuit employs various gates and operations, including Hadamard, CX, controlled swap, and RZ gates, to achieve encoding and error correction. Furthermore, we have designed a better protocol with improved error rates by incorporating improvisations on the BB84 protocol. Experimental results indicate the successful integration of the B92 error correction scheme into the modified BB84 protocol, enhancing the security and performance of QKD systems.