Secure Quantum Internet Protocol for Cross-Architecture Circuit Transmission

Collins Izuchukwu Okafor, Love Allen Chijioke Ahakonye, Dong-Seong Kim +1 more

The quantum internet is evolving from isolated point-to-point quantum key distribution links toward a globally interconnected, multi-layer protocol stack supporting entanglement distribution, quantum teleportation, and distributed quantum computing. As this architecture matures, each protocol layer-physical, link, network, transport, and application exposes negotiable security parameters: QKD protocol type, entanglement fidelity thresholds, purification rounds, error-correction schemes, and authentication methods. Yet no standardized mechanism exists to negotiate these parameters securely across layers or to prevent adversarial downgrade. The classical internet spent two decades rediscovering this lesson through attacks such as POODLE, FREAK, Logjam, KNOB, and Dragonblood; the quantum internet is now repeating the same architectural oversight. This study introduces QShield , a cross-layer security negotiation framework that binds every layer’s capability commitment into a unified transcript hash, ensuring that any single-layer downgrade invalidates the session-wide security context. We formalize a quantum security downgrade hierarchy spanning six levels from device-independent QKD to classical cryptography and identify twelve concrete downgrade attack vectors mapped from classical analogs. Evaluation across all twelve attack types shows that QShield with cross-layer transcript binding achieves 100% deterministic detection across the twelve modeled downgrade vectors evaluated under emulation, whereas independent per-layer checks detect only 40–60% of coordinated multi-layer attacks. Hybrid mode preserves near-classical session bootstrap latency (48-55 ms versus 25-30 ms baseline), while the signaling overhead remains within practical bounds (3.5-5 KB versus 0.8-1.2 KB for classical).

Laura DeNardis

Peng Zhou, Tong Liang, Min Xu +3 more

The communication process between the industrial internet cloud management centre and multiple edge devices is impeded by two key challenges: limited system resources and complexities in quantum key rate measurement. To address these issues, this paper proposes a quantum communication and measurement technique tailored to the industrial internet edge computing architecture. By introducing an edge device between the cloud management centre and industrial internet devices, the edge device can independently perform quantum key negotiation with both parties. Upon completion, the edge device generates the communication key required for secure transmission between the cloud management centre and the industrial internet devices. A key advantage of this protocol is that it eliminates the need for complex quantum communication hardware on the edge device, reducing implementation costs and streamlining the system. Moreover, the protocol ensures robust security and communication efficiency. Compared to traditional PKI and quantum communication protocols, this approach offers an advanced, cost- effective solution for industrial internet applications, defending against a range of attacks, including man-in-the-middle threats, through layered authentication and key exchange mechanisms, thus safeguarding the integrity and security of data transmission.

Shakir Sajad

Chenglu Jiang

The Industrial Internet offers significant advantages in terms of intelligence and efficiency, playing a crucial role in driving the digital transformation of the industrial economy. Today, the Industrial Internet is increasingly utilized worldwide, bringing substantial benefits to society. However, its application also presents numerous information security challenges. If unresolved, these issues could result in varying degrees of losses. Therefore, it is essential to adopt appropriate methods for encrypting communication signals transmitted within the Internet architecture. Taking the 5G fronthaul architecture as an example, this paper proposes augmenting the passive WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexer) transmission of communication signals with quantum signal transmission. Quantum encryption technology is employed to encrypt the communication signals initially transmitted via passive WDM. Alice and Bob are implemented in the DU (Distribution Unit) machine room and AAU (Active Antenna Unit) site, respectively, with quantum signal transmission established between them. Using the BB84 protocol in quantum encryption technology, keys are generated to encrypt communication signals, enhancing the security of the entire Internet and mitigating the risks associated with information leakage. This paper explores the specific processes and principles of network architecture and communication signal encryption. It presents a schematic diagram demonstrating the integration of quantum encryption technology into the 5G fronthaul network architecture. Additionally, the paper analyzes the benefits of incorporating quantum encryption technology into network architecture, laying a foundation for the deployment of quantum communication networks and advancing the secure development of the Industrial Internet.