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1. Security of Satellite-Based CV-QKD under Realistic Assumptions

   https://doi.org/10.1109/ICTON51198.2020.9203397  

   Pan, Ziwen; Djordjevic, Ivan B. (July 2020, 2020 22nd International Conference on Transparent Optical Networks (ICTON))

   null (Ed.)

   With the vastly growing need for secure communication, quantum key distribution (QKD) has been developed to provide high security for communications against potential attacks from the fast-developing quantum computers. Among different QKD protocols, continuous variable (CV-) QKD employing Gaussian modulated coherent states has been promising for its complete security proof and its compatibility with current communication systems in implementation with homodyne or heterodyne detection. Since satellite communication has been more and more important in developing global communication networks, there have been concerns about the security in satellite communication and how we should evaluate the security of CV-QKD in such scenarios. To better analyse the secure key rate (SKR) in this case, in this invited paper we investigate the CV-QKD SKR lower bounds under realistic assumptions over a satellite-to-satellite channel. We also investigate the eavesdropper's best strategy to apply in these scenarios. We demonstrate that for these channel conditions with well-chosen carrier centre frequency and receiver aperture size, based on channel parameters, we can optimize SKR correspondingly. The proposed satellite-based QKD system provides high security level for the coming 5G and beyond networks, the Internet of things, self-driving cars, and other fast-developing applications. 

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2. An Overview of Geometrical Optics Restricted Quantum Key Distribution

   https://doi.org/10.3390/e23081003  

   Pan, Ziwen; Djordjevic, Ivan B. (August 2021, Entropy)

   null (Ed.)

   Quantum key distribution (QKD) assures the theoretical information security from the physical layer by safely distributing true random numbers to the communication parties as secret keys while assuming an omnipotent eavesdropper (Eve). In recent years, with the growing applications of QKD in realistic channels such as satellite-based free-space communications, certain conditions such as the unlimited power collection ability of Eve become too strict for security analysis. Thus, in this invited paper, we give a brief overview of the quantum key distribution with a geometrical optics restricted power collection ability of Eve with its potential applications. 

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3. Exclusion zone analysis on secret key distillation over a realistic satellite-to-satellite free-space channel

   https://doi.org/10.1364/JOCN.461878  

   Pan, Ziwen; Djordjevic, Ivan_B (September 2022, Journal of Optical Communications and Networking)

   Quantum cryptography is the study of unconditional information security against an all-powerful eavesdropper in secret key distillation. However, the assumption of an omnipotent eavesdropper is too strict for some realistic implementations. In this paper, we study the realistic application model of secret key distillation over a satellite-to-satellite free-space channel in which we impose a reasonable restriction on the eavesdropper by setting an exclusion zone around the legitimate receiver as a defense strategy. We first study the case where the eavesdropper’s aperture size is unlimited so their power is only restricted by the exclusion zone. Then, we limit Eve’s aperture to a finite size and study the straightforward case when her aperture is in the same plane of Bob’s, investigating how an exclusion zone can help improve security. Correspondingly, we determine the secret key rate lower bounds as well as upper bounds. Furthermore, we also apply our results on specific discrete variable (DV) and continuous variable (CV) protocols for comparison. We show that, by putting reasonable restrictions on the eavesdropper through the realistic assumptions of an inaccessible exclusion zone, we can significantly increase the key rate in comparison to those without and do so with relatively lower transmission frequency. We conclude that this model is suitable for extended analysis in many light-gathering scenarios and for different carrier wavelengths. 

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4. Quantum Key Distribution for Critical Infrastructures: Towards Cyber-Physical Security for Hydropower and Dams

   https://doi.org/10.3390/s23249818  

   Green, Adrien; Lawrence, Jeremy; Siopsis, George; Peters, Nicholas A; Passian, Ali (December 2023, Sensors)

   Hydropower facilities are often remotely monitored or controlled from a centralized remote control room. Additionally, major component manufacturers monitor the performance of installed components, increasingly via public communication infrastructures. While these communications enable efficiencies and increased reliability, they also expand the cyber-attack surface. Communications may use the internet to remote control a facility’s control systems, or it may involve sending control commands over a network from a control room to a machine. The content could be encrypted and decrypted using a public key to protect the communicated information. These cryptographic encoding and decoding schemes become vulnerable as more advances are made in computer technologies, such as quantum computing. In contrast, quantum key distribution (QKD) and other quantum cryptographic protocols are not based upon a computational problem, and offer an alternative to symmetric cryptography in some scenarios. Although the underlying mechanism of quantum cryptogrpahic protocols such as QKD ensure that any attempt by an adversary to observe the quantum part of the protocol will result in a detectable signature as an increased error rate, potentially even preventing key generation, it serves as a warning for further investigation. In QKD, when the error rate is low enough and enough photons have been detected, a shared private key can be generated known only to the sender and receiver. We describe how this novel technology and its several modalities could benefit the critical infrastructures of dams or hydropower facilities. The presented discussions may be viewed as a precursor to a quantum cybersecurity roadmap for the identification of relevant threats and mitigation. 

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5. A New Security Proof for Twin-Field Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)

   https://doi.org/10.3390/app14010187  

   Krawec, Walter O. (January 2024, Applied Sciences)

   Twin-field QKD (TF-QKD) protocols allow for increased key rates over long distances when compared to standard QKD protocols. They are even able to surpass the PLOB bound without the need for quantum repeaters. In this work, we revisit a previous TF-QKD protocol and derive a new, simple, proof of security for it. We also look at several variants of the protocol and investigate their performance, showing some interesting behaviors due to the asymmetric nature of the protocol. 

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