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IEEE International Conference on ICT in Business Industry & Government (ICTBIG)

Secure Quantum Key Distribution Protocol for Hybrid Classical-Quantum Networks

Saiyed Faiayaz Waris, L. Bhagyalakshmi, M. Muni Babu, Musham Sandhya Rani, Hitha Poddar, Sanjay Kumar Suman

Published Dec 12, 2025• 18 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The existence of quantum computing presents an existential threat to the traditional cryptographic algorithms, and there is a need to create communication mechanisms that are fundamentally secure. In this regard, the concept of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) provides information-theoretic security, which is founded on quantum mechanics. Nevertheless, conventional QKD protocols have serious shortcomings such as lack of distance in communication, vulnerability to side-channel attacks, and inability to support the large-scale heterogeneous network. We suggest that HQNet-QKD a Hybrid Quantum Key Distribution framework can help solve these issues by offering a more secure, scalable and future-proof key exchange framework in hybrid classical-quantum networks. To support multi-layered security, the proposed architecture is a network ensuring the smoothness of decoy-state BB84, Measurement-Device-Independent QKD (MDI-QKD), entanglement/twin-field-based QKD with verifiable Secret Sharing (VSS) and Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). It provides a complete methodology such as system architecture, mathematical modeling, and end-to-end key synthesis. When used over a distance of 300 km, simulation and testing have shown that HQNet-QKD can achieve up to$2.7 \times$higher secret key rate (SKR) than conventional methods, secret communication at 700 km and resilience to both quantum and classical attacks more than 96%. In addition, the framework guarantees forward secrecy, detector-side immunity, contextbound key derivation, and composability and thus resistant to current and future adversaries. It has a low-computational overhead modular design, making it trivial to deploy in a real world, in applications like quantum-secured 5G backbones, cloud data centers, critical infrastructure, and satellite-based communication systems. The findings make HQNet-QKD a new generation solution to quantum-safe secure communication and the first step towards the implementation of the quantum internet.

DOI
10.1109/ictbig68706.2025.11323882

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Secure cryptographic key distribution is one of the essential conditions of modern protection of digital communications. The rise of large-scale quantum computing is a very real threat to traditional public-key cryptosystems, with the most commonly used cryptosystems, including RSA and elliptic curve cryptography, being easily broken with the help of quantum algorithms. Despite the demonstrable security offered by Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) through the laws of quantum mechanics, it has a limited range of transmission, expensive hardware, and it is difficult to scale. In order to overcome these shortcomings, this paper will propose a Hybrid Quantum-Classical Key Distribution (HQCKD) framework that combines quantum key generation and classical key management schemes. The proposed solution uses QKD to create a short and very safe quantum key seed, which then scalable classical cryptographic protocols based on long distance and large scale communication are booted up. The frames are tested by means of simulation in real network conditions, the latency, throughput, and security resilience are assessed. It is experimentally proven that the suggested hybrid model attains low end-to-end latency and high scalability with high resistance to both classical and quantum adversaries. The HQCKD framework is much simpler to implement and significantly less expensive in terms of infrastructure and deployment compared to bare QKD systems, which means that it is a realistic and future-proof approach to post-quantum safe communication.
Quantum computing is posing a serious risk to classical cryptographic tools such as RSA and ECC as sophisticated quantum algorithms are able to crack their mathematical foundation in a time bound that is a a polynomial in the number of repetitions. In this paper, we will describe the process of integrating Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) into a hybrid approach to secure communications in the post-quantum world. The suggested methodology is a combination of the computational efficiency and scalability of PQC and the information-theoretic security and eavesdropping detection abilities of QKD. Simulation observations indicate that PQC-only systems are both faster in generating keys and scalable, but do not have a strong eavesdropping detection. On the other hand, non-conditional security is only a feature of systems based on QKD, but it is also highly overhead and slows down key rate. The hybrid PQC-Q KD model provides a balanced performance, high resilience, high authentication, high confidentiality, and realistic deployability. On balance, this discussion demonstrates that the hybrid approach is better than standalone methods and can provide a strong solution to protect against new quantum threats. The large-scale network protocol can be optimized, resources and further integration with other emerging technologies, such as 5G/6G, IoT or cloud computing, can be directed in future research.
The emergence of large-scale quantum computers poses a significant threat to current cryptographic protocols, particularly Transport Layer Security (TLS), which relies on RSA and elliptic curve cryptography vulnerable to Shor's algorithm. This paper presents a hybrid framework for quantum-resistant TLS handshakes that integrates post-quantum cryptography (PQC), quantum key distribution (QKD) and classical cryptography to provide comprehensive protection against both classical and quantum attacks. The approach employs three QKD protocols; BB84, E91, and Measurement-Device-Independent QKD (MDI-QKD) alongside NIST-standardized PQC algorithms as well as alternative candidates such as HQC and BIKE. A key innovation is the QKD key management module, which addresses performance bottlenecks through periodic key generation and secure reuse within predefined retention periods, significantly reducing QKD overhead in TLS handshakes. The experimental implementation using the quantum network simulator evaluated 144 distinct cryptographic protocol combinations. Results demonstrate that ML-KEM combined with ML-DSA provides optimal PQC performance, while QKD protocol selection is distance-dependent: BB84 for short-range and MDI-QKD for long-distance communication. The framework includes various attack mitigation mechanisms and ensure security as long as at least one cryptographic method remains uncompromised. Consistent with current global quantum network usage, the proposed TLS approach is designed primarily for MAN and WAN environments rather than the Internet, providing a balanced solution that combines theoretical security guarantees with computational efficiency.
The exponential development of quantum computing represents a serious threat to the existence of the modern cybersecurity infrastructure. Fault-tolerant large-scale quantum computing will be realized roughly five to ten years hence, and will make most of the current standards for asymmetric cryptography-such as RSA and ECC-deviant. While mitigations, such as Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) offer possible countermeasures, both are hampered by vulnerabilities of their own. Respectively, PQC relies on unproven mathematical hardness assumptions that are always subject to future algorithmic innovations, while QKD is limited by the physical requirements of a dedicated quantum channel.This paper presents a new hybrid protocol which aims to solve these limitations by combining PQC and QKD into a unified design. The proposed scheme will hybridize the secure key resulting from the BB84-based QKD protocol with a second secret derived by using a lattice-based PQC key exchange, using a strong hybrid key derivation function. It deals with a point-to-point transport-layer model, which is in line with the technological limitations of QKD models at present. The implementation would need trusted nodes or quantum repeaters, which are beyond the reach of this implementation. The system is implemented on a dual-channel platform: the quantum channel is used for key distribution and the classical channel is used for PQC negotiation and secure data transmission, all classical communication is authenticated by HMAC. The resulting architecture is a future-proof quantum-safe communication system that will protect government sensitive data, as well as financial and e-commerce enterprises, thus ensuring the transition to a quantum resistant digital society in the face of a catastrophic event that would have a massive financial and societal impact.
The Hybrid approach in Quantum Cryptography creates adaptable security model which provides the safest Communication in the emerging quantum era. The development of quantum computing raise questions about the long-term security. Traditional algorithms, such as RSA, ECC, and Diffie-Hellman, which is seemed computationally secure but it can be effectively solved by quantum algorithms such as Shor's and Grover's. This problem leads to the origination of two key trends in current studies, namely Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), designing mathematical approaches to encryption resistant to quantum attacks; Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) using the principles of quantum mechanics to assure security in communications. Accordingly, this research proposes a hybrid security framework including reliable data encryption and authentication using PQC, combined with the safe key- exchange method of QKD. The model is implemented in Python, Qiskit, and PQClean's Kyber and Dilithium algorithms to show how these two paradigms can cooperate toward quantum- resilient communication. To present the system performance, key exchange efficiency, computational overhead, and security strength have been considered. According to the results, this hybrid approach gives superior defense against quantum threats while maintaining practical effectiveness for real-world applications such as cloud security, 6G networks, and the Internet of Things.
Quantum computing advances pose a serious threat to conventional public-key cryptographic systems such as RSA and elliptic curve cryptography as quantum algorithms may undermine the computational assumptions that guaranty their security. This challenge has driven the development of quantumsafe security approaches among which Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) represents a fundamentally different paradigm based on quantum mechanical principles rather than mathematical complexity. This paper presents a structured review of recent progress in QKD based on a systematic analysis of literature between 2020 and 2025, we examine core protocols including discrete-variable, continuous-variable, measurement-deviceindependent, and twin-field approaches, while also discussing their relationship with post-quantum cryptography as a complementary strategy for future secure communication systems. We provide a unified comparison framework to support practical design and policy decisions by organizing protocols and implementations along deployment dimensions. The study analyze theoretical foundations, implementation technologies across fiber, free-space, satellite, and integrated photonic platforms, and key performance trade-offs involving scalability, security robustness, and deployment feasibility. Findings indicate substantial progress in transitioning QKD from laboratory research toward practical implementations, supported by advances in network architectures, integrated hardware and hybrid cryptographic designs. The comparative analysis will highlight distinct strengths and limitations among protocol families and emphasize the potential of combining QKD with post-quantum cryptographic methods to enhance resilience. Remaining challenges including scalability constraints, implementation-level vulnerabilities, performance limitations over long distances, and integration with existing communication infrastructures are critically discussed. Finally, emerging research directions such as quantum repeaters, hybrid quantum-classical security models, and exploratory directions such as artificial intelligence-assisted optimizations are identified as key factors in enabling the evolution of QKD toward largescale quantum-secure networking.