Lightweight authentication for quantum key distribution

Abstract

Quantum key distribution (QKD) enables unconditionally secure communication between distinct parties using a quantum channel and an authentic public channel. Reducing the portion of quantum-generated secret keys, that is consumed during the authentication procedure, is of significant importance for improving the performance of QKD systems. In the present work, we develop a lightweight authentication protocol for QKD based on a `ping-pong' scheme of authenticity check for QKD. An important feature of this scheme is that the only one authentication tag is generated and transmitted during each of the QKD post-processing rounds. For the tag generation purpose, we design an unconditionally secure procedure based on the concept of key recycling. The procedure is based on the combination of almost universal${}_2$ polynomial hashing, XOR universal${}_2$ Toeplitz hashing, and one-time pad (OTP) encryption. We demonstrate how to minimize both the length of the recycled key and the size of the authentication key, that is required for OTP encryption. As a result, in real case scenarios, the portion of quantum-generated secret keys that is consumed for the authentication purposes is below 1\%. Finally, we provide a security analysis of the full quantum key growing process in the framework of universally composable security.

arXiv comment16 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables

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Cited by in corpus (8)

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• Lightweight authentication for quantum key distribution
• Security of the decoy state method for quantum key distribution
• Continuous-variable quantum communication
• Eurasian-Scale Experimental Satellite-based Quantum Key Distribution with Detector Efficiency Mismatch Analysis
• Deploying hybrid quantum-secured infrastructure for applications: When quantum and post-quantum can work together
• Practical quantum multiparty signatures using quantum-key-distribution networks
• Security proofs for practical QKD: variations, techniques, gaps, and limitations