In the face of the development of quantum computers, common methods used in computer cryptography, like RSA, are becoming vulnerable and potentially not safe to use anymore. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is an alternative approach to computer cryptography, where rather than focus on asymmetric cryptography, attention is turned to random key generation for symmetric cryptography, which should be more resilient against eavesdropping. My thesis focuses on enabling Quantum key distribution on a larger scale. The thesis aims to design and create a proof of concept of the Quantum key distribution network. To achieve this, I reviewed numerous existing specifications related to the topic and designed the interactions and security measures for the system components. The final part of my thesis is an implementation with a demonstration of the basic principles and functionalities related to the quantum key distribution.
In the face of the development of quantum computers, common methods used in computer cryptography, like RSA, are becoming vulnerable and potentially not safe to use anymore. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is an alternative approach to computer cryptography, where rather than focus on asymmetric cryptography, attention is turned to random key generation for symmetric cryptography, which should be more resilient against eavesdropping. My thesis focuses on enabling Quantum key distribution on a larger scale. The thesis aims to design and create a proof of concept of the Quantum key distribution network. To achieve this, I reviewed numerous existing specifications related to the topic and designed the interactions and security measures for the system components. The final part of my thesis is an implementation with a demonstration of the basic principles and functionalities related to the quantum key distribution.
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) technology enables the capabilities to distribute secure keys consisting of symmetric random bit strings that can be proven to be secure even against a cyberattack with an unbounded computational ability. QKD, however, has critical limitations in terms of scalability, availability and expense. QKD network (QKDN) is a technology which addresses these shortcomings by control and management capabilities to extend the reachability and availability. This paper proposes an architecture for QKDN control and management to address the required functionality and its proof of concept implementation.
This paper presents an innovative architecture for blockchain systems that integrates quantum key distribution (QKD) cryptography as a fundamental component to enhance the security and integrity of transactions in the face of the growing threat posed by quantum computers. The proposed architecture leverages the unconditional security of QKD, based on the laws of quantum physics, to protect the blockchain against potential attacks that could compromise classical cryptographic algorithms. We explore the architecture design, consensus protocols, transaction authentication mechanisms, and the practical implications of integrating QKD into blockchain systems. The analysis focuses on the quantum key distribution systems from ID Quantique (IDQ), recognised for their robustness and reliability, to highlight the feasibility and benefits of implementing QKD in real-world scenarios. Additionally, we explore the challenges and opportunities inherent in implementing this architecture, including QKD scalability, key management, interoperability, and integration with existing communication infrastructures.
This paper presents an innovative architecture for blockchain systems that integrates quantum key distribution (QKD) cryptography as a fundamental component to enhance the security and integrity of transactions in the face of the growing threat posed by quantum computers. The proposed architecture leverages the unconditional security of QKD, based on the laws of quantum physics, to protect the blockchain against potential attacks that could compromise classical cryptographic algorithms. We explore the architecture design, consensus protocols, transaction authentication mechanisms, and the practical implications of integrating QKD into blockchain systems. The analysis focuses on the quantum key distribution systems from ID Quantique (IDQ), recognised for their robustness and reliability, to highlight the feasibility and benefits of implementing QKD in real-world scenarios. Additionally, we explore the challenges and opportunities inherent in implementing this architecture, including QKD scalability, key management, interoperability, and integration with existing communication infrastructures.
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) represents a groundbreaking advancement in the field of cryptography, leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics to establish secure communication channels. Unlike classical cryptographic methods, QKD promises theoretically unbreakable security by ensuring that any attempt at eavesdropping can be detected. This thesis explores the practical implementation, challenges, and comparative security of various QKD scenarios within modern network infrastructures. We specifically analyze the security implications of integrating QKD with Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and compare it against Quantum Random Number Generators (QRNG), Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), and Physical Unclonable Functions under different conditions, with the aim of providing a comprehensive evaluation of the strengths and vulnerabilities of each approach, guiding future developments in secure communication systems. After the analysis performed in this Master Thesis, we can safely conclude that the Quantum Key Distribution scenario is the ideal use case, having the highest overall security score. Meanwhile, the scenarios of QRNG and PQC are the closest to the ideal security when compared to QKD. Finally, while the PUF scenario has the lowest overall security score, it still presents better authentication features that can prove beneficial if combined with other scenarios.
As it has been recently proven that the public key-based RSA algorithms that are currently used in encryption can be unlocked by Shor’s algorithm of quantum computers in a short time, conventional security systems are facing new threats, and accordingly, studies have been actively conducted on new security systems. They are classified into two typical methods: Post Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and Quantum Key Distribution (QKD). PQC aims to design conventional cryptography systems in a more robust way so that they will not be decrypted by a quantum computer in a short time whereas QKD aims to make data tapping and interception physically impossible by using quantum mechanical characteristics. In this paper, we design a quantum key management system, which is most crucial for constructing a QKD network and analyze the design requirements to apply them to Korea Research Environment Open NETwork (KREONET). The quantum key management system not only manages the lifecycle, such as storage, management, derivation, allocation, and deletion of the symmetric key generated in QKD but also enables many-to-many communication in QKD communication based on the key relay function and P2P communication to overcome the limitation of distance, which is a disadvantage of QKD. We have validated the designed quantum key management system through simulations to supplement the parts that were not considered during the initial design.