Quantum Authentication Evolution: Novel Approaches for Securing Quantum Key Distribution

Area of Science:

• Quantum Information Science
• Cryptography
• Network Security

Background:

• Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) protocols like BB84 and SARG04 require robust classical channel authentication.
• Existing authentication methods can introduce significant overhead and complexity, limiting practical QKD deployment.
• The advent of quantum computing necessitates the use of quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel mono-authentication strategy for QKD security.
• To assess the performance of quantum-resistant signature algorithms (CRYSTALS-DILITHIUM and RAINBOW) within this framework.
• To analyze the impact of noise and varying parameters on the efficiency and security of the proposed authentication method.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of mono-authentication using CRYSTALS-DILITHIUM and RAINBOW signature schemes.
• Numerical analysis and simulations of QKD protocols (BB84, SARG04) under different noise levels and block sizes.
• Performance evaluation based on signature overhead, authentication time, and quantum bit error rate (QBER).

Main Results:

• CRYSTALS-DILITHIUM consistently outperformed RAINBOW across tested scenarios.
• Signature overheads were minimal (approx. 0.5% for BB84, 0.4% for SARG04) even with QBER up to 8%.
• Higher security levels correlated with increased authentication times, but CRYSTALS-DILITHIUM maintained efficiency up to 10,000 kb/s.

Conclusions:

• Mono-authentication significantly reduces cost and complexity in QKD systems.
• CRYSTALS-DILITHIUM is a highly effective quantum-resistant algorithm for QKD authentication, especially in noisy environments.
• The proposed approach enhances the resilience and practicality of quantum communication systems.