Enhancing the Security of Classical Communication with Post-Quantum Authenticated-Encryption Schemes for the Quantum Key Distribution

Ghashghaei, Farshad Rahimi and Ahmed, Yussuf and Elmrabit, Nebrase and Yousefi, Mehdi (2024) Enhancing the Security of Classical Communication with Post-Quantum Authenticated-Encryption Schemes for the Quantum Key Distribution. Computers, 13 (7). p. 163. ISSN 2073-431X

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Abstract

This research aims to establish a secure system for key exchange by using post-quantum cryptography (PQC) schemes in the classic channel of quantum key distribution (QKD). Modern cryptography faces significant threats from quantum computers, which can solve classical problems rapidly. PQC schemes address critical security challenges in QKD, particularly in authentication and encryption, to ensure the reliable communication across quantum and classical channels. The other objective of this study is to balance security and communication speed among various PQC algorithms in different security levels, specifically CRYSTALS-Kyber, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, and Falcon, which are finalists in the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization project. The quantum channel of QKD is simulated with Qiskit, which is a comprehensive and well-supported tool in the field of quantum computing. By providing a detailed analysis of the performance of these three algorithms with Rivest–Shamir–Adleman (RSA), the results will guide companies and organizations in selecting an optimal combination for their QKD systems to achieve a reliable balance between efficiency and security. Our findings demonstrate that the implemented PQC schemes effectively address security challenges posed by quantum computers, while keeping the the performance similar to RSA.

Item Type: Article
Identification Number: 10.3390/computers13070163
Dates:
Date
Event
27 June 2024
Accepted
1 July 2024
Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords: post-quantum cryptography, quantum key distribution, NIST; CRYSTALS-Kyber, CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Falcon, Qiskit
Subjects: CAH11 - computing > CAH11-01 - computing > CAH11-01-01 - computer science
Divisions: Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment > College of Computing
Depositing User: Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited: 12 Aug 2024 14:46
Last Modified: 12 Aug 2024 14:46
URI: https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/15709

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