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Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Physics Letters

Unidimensional-modulation Continuous-variable Quantum Key Distribution under Light-injection Attacks

P. Wang, J. Liang, Z. Bai, L. Chang

Published Sep 14, 2026• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Unidimensional-modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution has received considerable attention due to its simplified transmitter architecture, reduced random-number consumption, and low deployment cost. However, its security against source-side light-injection attacks remains unexplored. In this paper, the effects of such attacks on unidimensional-modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution systems are systematically investigated. A theoretical model of quantum-state preparation at the transmitter under light-injection attacks is established, parameter estimation bias formulas are derived, the resulting degradation in the secret key rate is quantified, and the theoretical results are validated through numerical simulations. In addition, the security implications of light-injection attacks in the finite-size regime are examined. The results demonstrate that light-injection attacks cause overestimation of the channel transmittance and underestimation of excess noise. Under finite-size conditions, these attacks reduce the minimum data-block length required to achieve a positive secret key rate, thereby creating a false indication of security even when no secure key can actually be generated. These findings demonstrate that light-injection attacks constitute a serious threat to unidimensional-modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution systems and provide an important theoretical foundation for future secure practical deployment.

DOI
10.1134/s0021364026608298

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Unidimensional-modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution has received considerable attention due to its simplified transmitter architecture, reduced random-number consumption, and low deployment cost. However, its security against source-side light-injection attacks remains unexplored. In this paper, the effects of such attacks on unidimensional-modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution systems are systematically investigated. A theoretical model of quantum-state preparation at the transmitter under light-injection attacks is established, parameter estimation bias formulas are derived, the resulting degradation in the secret key rate is quantified, and the theoretical results are validated through numerical simulations. In addition, the security implications of light-injection attacks in the finite-size regime are examined. The results demonstrate that light-injection attacks cause overestimation of the channel transmittance and underestimation of excess noise. Under finite-size conditions, these attacks reduce the minimum data-block length required to achieve a positive secret key rate, thereby creating a false indication of security even when no secure key can actually be generated. These findings demonstrate that light-injection attacks constitute a serious threat to unidimensional-modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution systems and provide an important theoretical foundation for future secure practical deployment.
We propose the continuous-variable quantum key distribution protocol based on the Gaussian modulation of a single quadrature of the coherent states of light, which is aimed to provide simplified implementation compared to the symmetrically modulated Gaussian coherent-state protocols. The protocol waives the necessity in one of the quadrature modulations and the corresponding channel transmittance estimation. The security of the protocol against collective attacks in a generally phase-sensitive Gaussian channel is analyzed and is shown achievable upon certain conditions. Robustness of the protocol to channel imperfections is compared to that of the symmetrical coherent-state protocol. The simplified unidimensional protocol is shown possible at a reasonable quantitative cost in terms of key rate and of tolerable channel excess noise.
Unidimensional Gaussian modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution (UD CV-QKD) uses only one modulator to encode information. The UD CV-QKD has the advantages of low implementation cost and low random number consumption, making it attractive for the construction of future miniaturized and low-cost large-scale quantum communication networks. However, in the actual application of the protocol, the intensity fluctuation of the source pulsed light, device defects, and external environmental interference maybe lead to the generation of source intensity errors, thereby affecting the realistic security and performance of the protocol. To solve these problems, the security and performance of UD CV-QKD are studied in depth under source intensity errors in this work. The mechanism of source intensity errors influencing the protocol parameter estimation process is analyzed. To make it possible that the protocol can operate stably under various realistic conditions and ensure communication security, three practical assumptions about the sender’s abilities are made in this work, and corresponding data optimization processing schemes for these assumptions are proposed to reduce the negative influence of source intensity errors. Additionally, both source errors and finite-size effect are comprehensively considered to ensure the realistic security of the system. The simulation results indicate that the source intensity errors cannot be neglected and the maximum transmission distance of the system will be reduced by approximately 20 km for significant intensity fluctuations. Therefore, in the practical implementation of the protocol, the influence of source intensity errors must be fully considered, and the corresponding countermeasures should be taken to reduce or even eliminate these errors. This study provides theoretical guidance for securely implementing the UD CV-QKD in real-world environments.
Quantum key distribution (QKD) offers information-theoretic security, but device imperfections introduce implementation vulnerabilities. Experimental evidence of the security consequences of transmitter vulnerabilities in continuous-variable QKD (CV-QKD) remains limited. Here, we experimentally investigate a reversible photorefractive attack in a local-local-oscillator CV-QKD system. Moderate blue-light illumination reduces the modulation variance of a lithium-niobate IQ modulator to a stable value without appreciably increasing estimated excess noise. The variance recovers after illumination is removed. We elucidate the underlying physical mechanisms and develop an attack that exploits recovery to compromise modulation calibration. Receiver measurements confirm that the resulting calibration mismatch leads to overestimated channel transmittance and underestimated excess noise. Key rate calculations based on measured parameters yield a positive estimated rate when the correctly calibrated rate is nonpositive. Recovery can also make the preceding manipulation harder to identify through later inspection. This work provides the first system-level experimental evidence that a reversible photorefractive response can be exploited to compromise modulation calibration in CV-QKD. These findings highlight reversible changes in quantum transmitters as a practical security concern, motivating security analyses and protection strategies that account for both optical perturbations and subsequent recovery.
Continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (CV-MDI QKD) can defend all detection-side attacks effectively. Therefore, the source side is the final battlefield for performing quantum hacking attacks. This paper investigates the practical security of a CV-MDI QKD system under a light-injection attack. Here, we first describe two different light-injection attacks, i.e., the induced-photorefractive attack and the strong-power injection attack. Then, we consider three attack cases where Eve only attacks one of the parties or both parties of the CV-MDI QKD system. Based on the analysis of the parameter estimation, we find that the legitimate communication parties will overestimate the secret key rate of the system under the effect of a light-injection attack. This opens a security loophole for Eve to successfully obtain secret key information in a practical CV-MDI QKD system. In particular, compared to the laser-damage attack, the above attacks use a lower power of injected light and have a more serious effect on the security of the system. To eliminate the above effects, we can enhance the practical security of the system by doping the lithium niobate material with various impurities or by using protective devices, such as optical isolators, circulators, optical power limiters, and narrow-band filters. Apart from these, we can also use an intensity monitor or a photodetector to detect the light-injection attack.
To address the demand for low-cost deployment in quantum key distribution (QKD) networks, this study explores the implementation of unidimensional (UD) modulation continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CV-QKD) protocols within downstream access networks. The UD CV-QKD protocol employs a single modulator for information encoding, offering benefits such as reduced implementation cost and lower random number consumption, which collectively decrease the overall setup expense of QKD systems. Through systematic performance analysis, it is demonstrated that the proposed UD modulation downstream access network scheme exhibits strong scalability and practical applicability. When supporting 32 users, the system maintains secure communication over transmission distances of up to 50 km. As the number of users increases to 64, performance declines slightly; however, the system still achieves a 35 km transmission distance, which remains suitable for many metropolitan access applications. Even in high-density access scenarios involving 128 users, the system sustains a positive key rate within a transmission range of 20 km. Furthermore, this study evaluates the protocol’s practical security under source intensity errors and finite-size effects. These results provide meaningful guidance for deploying low-cost, high-security quantum communication access networks and contribute to advancing QKD technologies toward scalable, real-world implementations.
Continuous variable quantum key distribution via discrete modulations ensures information-theoretic security using standard telecom technologies, providing affordable and scalable quantum communications with simplified classical postprocessing. However, existing security proofs against general attacks often rely on restrictive assumptions, such as a bounded dimension for coherent states, or require impractically large block sizes. In this work, we develop a finite-size security analysis that removes these limitations while incorporating realistic experimental features. Our approach combines an optimization under infinite dimensions, a security proof against general attacks, a trusted detector model accounting for the receiver imperfections, and postselection strategies to reuse discarded measurement outcomes. We report positive key rates in the finite-size regime for relevant block sizes of the order of 10710^7107. These results contribute to narrowing the gap between theoretical security proofs and practical implementations of discrete-modulated continuous variable quantum key distribution protocols.