International Conference on Intelligent Systems for Cybersecurity (ISCS)

Quantum True Randomness in Satellite Communications: Integrating QRNGs for Secure and Efficient Protocols

S Harikaran, S Karthikabharani, T. S. Gururaja, Padmapriya Praveenkumar

Published Nov 14, 2025• 0 citations

Abstract

Defense, finance, navigation and global internet constellations are now dependent on satellite communication. Nevertheless, the majority of systems continue to use classical pseudo-random number generators (PRNGs) to encrypt and authenticate, and these are susceptible to prediction, replay and side-channel attacks. This paper presents a design of a model to incorporate Quantum True Random Number Generators (QTRNGs) to tap into natural randomness of quantum phenomena into satellite communication systems. The design is a gate based QRNG design based on Hadamard, SX and Pauli-Z gates, which are implemented and tested with NIST 800-22 and NIST 800-90B tests. The protocol architecture uses QRNGs to generate secure keys in ground-to-satellite and inter-satellite links. It shows a better result in entropy, unpredictability and attack resistance. The suggested architecture illustrates the ability of satellites enabled by QRNG to ensure the real-time and futureproof security of the worldwide communication networks.

DOI: 10.1109/iscs69371.2025.11386361

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