Security boundaries of an optical power limiter for protecting quantum key distribution systems

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Peng, Qingquan, Gao, Binwu, Zaitsev, Konstantin, Wang, Dongyang, Ding, Jiangfang, Liu, Yingwen, Liao, Qin, Guo, Ying, Huang, Anqi, Wu, Junjie
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Peng, Qingquan
Gao, Binwu
Zaitsev, Konstantin
Wang, Dongyang
Ding, Jiangfang
Liu, Yingwen
Liao, Qin
Guo, Ying
Huang, Anqi
Wu, Junjie
author_facet Peng, Qingquan
Gao, Binwu
Zaitsev, Konstantin
Wang, Dongyang
Ding, Jiangfang
Liu, Yingwen
Liao, Qin
Guo, Ying
Huang, Anqi
Wu, Junjie
contents Unauthorized light injection has always been a vital threat to the practical security of a quantum key distribution (QKD) system. An optical power limiter (OPL) based on the thermo-optical defocusing effect has been proposed and implemented, limiting the injected hacking light. As a hardware countermeasure, the performance of the OPL under various light-injection attacks shall be tested to clarify the security boundary before being widely deployed. To investigate the OPL's security boundary in quantum cryptography, we comprehensively test and analyse the behavior of OPL under continuous-wave (c.w.) light-injection attacks and pulse illumination attacks with pulses' repetition rate at $0.5$-$\hertz$, $40$-$\mega\hertz$, and $1$-$\giga\hertz$. The testing results illuminate the security boundary of the OPL, which allows one to properly employ the OPL in the use cases. The methodology of testing and analysis proposed here is applicable to other power-limitation components in a QKD system.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2303_12355
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Security boundaries of an optical power limiter for protecting quantum key distribution systems
Peng, Qingquan
Gao, Binwu
Zaitsev, Konstantin
Wang, Dongyang
Ding, Jiangfang
Liu, Yingwen
Liao, Qin
Guo, Ying
Huang, Anqi
Wu, Junjie
Quantum Physics
Unauthorized light injection has always been a vital threat to the practical security of a quantum key distribution (QKD) system. An optical power limiter (OPL) based on the thermo-optical defocusing effect has been proposed and implemented, limiting the injected hacking light. As a hardware countermeasure, the performance of the OPL under various light-injection attacks shall be tested to clarify the security boundary before being widely deployed. To investigate the OPL's security boundary in quantum cryptography, we comprehensively test and analyse the behavior of OPL under continuous-wave (c.w.) light-injection attacks and pulse illumination attacks with pulses' repetition rate at $0.5$-$\hertz$, $40$-$\mega\hertz$, and $1$-$\giga\hertz$. The testing results illuminate the security boundary of the OPL, which allows one to properly employ the OPL in the use cases. The methodology of testing and analysis proposed here is applicable to other power-limitation components in a QKD system.
title Security boundaries of an optical power limiter for protecting quantum key distribution systems
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.12355