Quantum Cybersecurity: Securing Classical and Quantum Computing Environments

Nisheeth Saxena, Akriti Nigam

Swathi Terli, Jyothi Satya Bhavani Banisetti, Veera Satya Vineela Dokala

The cybersecurity is confronted with new challenges due to the increase in cyberattacks in terms of their cleverness, speed, and lack of detection. The traditional security systems tend to be slow in countering the sophisticated attacks. Simultaneously, quantum computing is establishing opportunities and risks in regards to security. The paper reviews the literature on quantum computing and machine learning as approaches to enhancing cybersecurity and also explores the difficulties arising with quantum technologies. The paper is conducted based on the PRISMA framework to conduct the search, filtering, the assessment, and synthesis of recent studies on key scientific databases. According to the results hybrid quantum-classical computing and Quantum Neural Networks can enhance intelligent threat detection, predictive analytics, cyber risk assessment, security automation and autonomous security systems. The analysis also shows some key weaknesses, such as the lack of quantum hardware, quantum error correction issues, high computations, the absence of standard security frameworks, privacy issues, and the paucity of practical deployed research. The paper emphasizes that machine learning and quantum computing used together would make cyber resilience, aiding secure computing, enhancing digital forensic, and speeding up further cybersecurity innovation. It is; the review concludes that future studies in Energy in Quantum Security, Quantum-Resistant Security, Zero Trust Security and intelligent cyber defense systems will be important in creating safe, all-scale, and responsive cybersecurity infrastructures in the digitalized environment of the future.

A Hasnim Malik, Sardar M. N. Islam

Venugopala Reddy Kasu, Ganesamoorthy Pandian, Dinesh Kumar Arivalagan +3 more

Traditional cryptographic methods are becoming more and more vulnerable when facing the computing power delivered by the quantum algorithm in the era of digitalization heading towards quantum computing. The realization of a quantum computer is a growing menace that has promoted the development of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), a completely secure key exchange protocol based on the principles of quantum mechanics. This work studies QKD protocol creation and use for secure data transfer in hybrid networks including both classical and quantum computing nodes over geographically separated environments. The paper provides a scalable scheme to integrate QKD with current classical communication networks, with the emphasis on interoperability, key synchronization, secure routing among the mixed nodes. At the core of the model are quantum channels for key exchange and classical channels for data, governed by a quantum-safe control protocol. The security of QKD—the feature of resistance against eavesdropping according to the no-cloning theorem and disturbance of measurement—is investigated taking into account actual implementation aspects, such as noise, restriction in a transmission distance, and quantum memory. To test the model, simulation, and prototype testing are performed over different networking topologies, considering various parameters such as QBER, key generation rate, latency and system robustness under different attacks such as man-in-the-middle as well as photon-number-splitting attacks. We also investigate the interworking between QKD and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to reduce the risk for hybrid systems with enhanced security and to be backward compatible to classical systems. Findings show that, when well combined with classical and quantum computing nodes, QKD is able to bring the cybersecurity of today communication infrastructures to a greater extent. This research is a step towards building the quantum internet, providing a solid foundation for applications in cybersecurity and potentially well beyond — finance, defense, health care and more — where data privacy truly matters.

Javier Oliva del Moral, Antonio deMarti iOlius, Gerard Vidal +2 more

The machinery of industrial environments was connected to the Internet years ago with the scope of increasing their performance. However, this change made such environments vulnerable against cyber-attacks that can compromise their correct functioning resulting in economic or social problems. Moreover, implementing cryptosystems in the communications between operational technology (OT) devices is a more challenging task than for information technology (IT) environments since the OT networks are generally composed of legacy elements, characterized by low-computational capabilities. Consequently, implementing cryptosystems in industrial communication networks faces a tradeoff between the security of the communications and the amortization of the industrial infrastructure. Critical infrastructure (CI) refers to the industries which provide key resources for the daily social and economical development, e.g., electricity. Furthermore, a new threat to cybersecurity has arisen with the theoretical proposal of quantum computers, due to their potential ability of breaking state-of-the-art cryptography protocols, such as RSA or elliptic curve cryptography. Many global agents have become aware that transitioning their secure communications to a quantum secure paradigm is a priority that should be established before the arrival of fault-tolerance. In this article, we aim to describe the problematic of implementing post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to CI environments. For doing so, we describe the requirements for these scenarios and how they differ against IT. We also introduce classical cryptography and how quantum computers pose a threat to such security protocols. Furthermore, we introduce state-of-the-art proposals of PQC protocols and present their characteristics. We conclude by discussing the problematic of integrating PQC in industrial environments.

Author 1 - Mrs. Asmita H. Hendre Author 2 - Mr. Ashok S. Deokar Author 3 - Ms. Kirti T. Samrit Author 4 - Mr. Ravikant D. Kale Author 5 - Dr. Mrunal Pandit