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International Multi-Topic ICT Conference (IMTIC)

A Simulation of Quantum Key Distribution Using BB84 Protocol

Ahsan Manzoor, Muhammad Saeed, Faheem Ahmed

Published Dec 29, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Secure communication in cryptographic system, relies on secret key which must be exchanged between a sender and a receiver such that it avoids unauthorized access and can be used to encrypt the plain text and decrypt the cipher text. However, advancement in quantum computing raises concern on the security of information exchanged over the web. As the information on the web is made secure using classical cryptographic mechanisms that are only computationally secure and quantum computers with high computational capability can generate the secrete keys in a very short time. In order to make sure that quantum computers do not breach the security of the network, we need to develop some sort of quantum-resistant mechanisms. Quantum key distribution is one of the quantum-resistant-mechanisms which guarantee secure data communication. It leverages quantum mechanics principles by exchanging the key in quantum states called qubits and any attempt to access the key causes disturbance in the qubits yielding change in their behavior or state, hence signaling the presence of an intruder and making it impossible to be accessed. This paper presents a simulation to establish and exchange secrete keys in quantum environment using BB84 protocol and to determine the efficiency of the system, quantum bit error rate is measured and discussed.

DOI
10.1109/imtic68267.2025.11520516

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Secure communication in cryptographic system, relies on secret key which must be exchanged between a sender and a receiver such that it avoids unauthorized access and can be used to encrypt the plain text and decrypt the cipher text. However, advancement in quantum computing raises concern on the security of information exchanged over the web. As the information on the web is made secure using classical cryptographic mechanisms that are only computationally secure and quantum computers with high computational capability can generate the secrete keys in a very short time. In order to make sure that quantum computers do not breach the security of the network, we need to develop some sort of quantum-resistant mechanisms. Quantum key distribution is one of the quantum-resistant-mechanisms which guarantee secure data communication. It leverages quantum mechanics principles by exchanging the key in quantum states called qubits and any attempt to access the key causes disturbance in the qubits yielding change in their behavior or state, hence signaling the presence of an intruder and making it impossible to be accessed. This paper presents a simulation to establish and exchange secrete keys in quantum environment using BB84 protocol and to determine the efficiency of the system, quantum bit error rate is measured and discussed.
Quantum cryptography using the BB84 protocol is at the forefront of modern secure communication. This paper emphasizes on BB84 protocol and its role in secure key distribution utilizing the Qiskit libraries in Python to simulate Quantum Key distribution (QKD). This QKD is then applied to the One-Time Pad algorithm for message encryption and decryption. Ensuring data confidentiality and integrity and is difficult due to advanced cyber threats and the potential of quantum computing to undermine traditional cryptographic methods. Current encryption techniques are susceptible to quantum related attacks, risking the decryption of sensitive data. Alice (sender) and Bob (receiver) use classical encryption to communicate but eavesdropper Eve with quantum capabilities, can potentially decrypt their messages. This vulnerability affects critical data security in finance, healthcare, and national security, making robust cryptographic solutions essential for maintaining trust and safety in digital communications. Our work emphasis the utilization of the quantum key generated by employing the BB84 protocol with the help of Qiskit library in python as cipher text in the process of one time pad encryption and decryption. This encrypted data dispatched between the sender and receiver to ensure maximum security, confidentiality and integrity over the period of communication.
Private key cryptography suffers from a major weakness - it requires sharing of a secret key between two parties. An intruder can copy the secret key as it is being exchanged, thereby severely compromising the security of the system. Thus a private key cryptographic system depends entirely on secrecy of the key. Public key cryptography does not have a key distribution problem but its security relies on the fact that determining the factors of a number that is the product of two very large prime numbers is not computationally feasible. It has been shown that a quantum computer can solve the prime factors of very large numbers in polynomial time which would otherwise take millions of years. Public key cryptography will therefore become insecure if quantum computing becomes a reality. Quantum cryptography, originally presented in BB84 protocol, avoids all these issues by encrypting the shared key using a series of photons. In this paper a key distribution protocol based on the concepts of BB84 is proposed It provides an additional layer of security by sending the key data bits twice; during the second transmission the original key bits or their complements are randomly chosen for transmission. The sender informs the receiver about the orientation of the key bits during the second round of transmission only after the data has been sent out.
The main purpose of quantum key distribution protocols is to provide a practical and secure transmission of the single-use key used in encryption at the sender and receiver side. In the classical method, both parties cannot be sure that the key has not been taken over by an attacker. Since the quantum key exchange method basically relies on quantum physics, it provides higher security than conventional key distribution methods. In this study, the first and most used BB84 protocol, which is one of the quantum key distribution (QKD) protocols, and the distribution of the key between the receiver and the sender in the simulation environment and the attempt of the attacker to achieve the key was performed in the simulation environment. The results obtained in the last section are analyzed and suggestions are made for future studies.
One promising way to use quantum information to secure everyday communication is through the distribution of quantum keys. By exchanging a secret key, the Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) approach allows two parties to communicate securely.BB84 protocol is among the most well-known QKD protocols. In this protocol, qubits are exchanged via a quantum channel between the sender and the receiver. This enables them to produce a shared key that is impenetrable to eavesdroppers and illustrate the fundamental ideas of QKD using current simulations and implementations. The results of this study demonstrate that the BB84 protocol is a highly secure QKD technique that has been investigated in great detail and used in a variety of contexts. Additionally, over the enhancements made to the BB84 protocol such as the use of advanced error correction techniques and decoy states to increase its security and usability is discussed. With an emphasis on the BB84 protocol in secure communication technologies, this study offers an extensive analysis of QKD systems overall.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) which is the name of cryptography in quantum environment act as the highest developed area in quantum communication and computing technology (QCIT). \n \nQKD is inventive technology which utilize the laws of quantum to create a cryptographic share key to make the communication system secure. The unique feature of QKD assures eavesdropping detectable during quantum communications which is fascinating for a high-level secure environment.Most of the traditional cryptographic methods which we use currently are based on mathematical scheme or Computational complexity theory which are not completely safe. Using quantum cryptography has been achieved extensive steps in communication security establishment. As the information Unit has been changed from “bit” to Quantum bit (Qubit), a new element has been offered that can guarantee the shared information confidentiality between parties. The confidentiality of system is established via exchanging a secret key through a channel of quantum, the key which we use for encrypting the shared data. This structure has quantum integration which has been developed by physics law and techniques of cryptography. \n \nThis thesis has proposed a modified version of QKD protocol, this new protocol will generate a cryptographic share key for a more efficient, lower cost and secure communication between two parties (sender and Receiver). This new protocol principal is similar to BBM92, but the source of photon moved to sender instead of third-party photon generator, following steps will be executed in this Experiment: \n \n•\tObserve different categories protocols of QKD in details \n•\tThe Quantum Mechanics Visualisation Project (QuVis) is the simulation software that has been used for implementing the proposed protocol [BB84 with spin] among the other three (BBM92, B92 and BB84). \n•\tProbability ratio of error will be tested and compared for all protocols, for this experiment 100 to 5000 photons will be sent. \n \nBy Analysing collected data in this experiment, it will be determined which one of this four protocols lead the detecting of eavesdropping. Simulation software accomplishes the value of error key probability which receiver can use and should not pass over the range limit of 0.25 & 0.5.
All traditional cryptographic algorithms used in the network communication environments, relied on mathematical models and computational assumptions, are actually unsafe and apt by many attackers (quantum and man-in-the-middle attacks). Therefore, nowadays Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) promises a secure key agreement by using quantum mechanical systems. QKD becomes a significant trend of new cryptographic revolution. This paper explains how cryptography exploits the quantum mechanics in order to achieve an encryption/decryption process. Additionally, this paper provides a standard simulation for QKD-BB84 protocol and describes improvement key generation and key distribution mechanisms. Then, validation, results and efficiency of BB84 protocol are presented using different security configurations. Finally, our results indicated that the QKD is susceptible to corporate with different security applications and achieve the key availability for such applications. However, it suffers from the higher rate of authentication cost.