Distributed Symmetric Key Establishment: a Scalable Quantum-Safe Key Distribution Protocol

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Lin, Jie, Lo, Hoi-Kwong, Johannsson, Jacob, Montagna, Mattia, von Willich, Manfred
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Lin, Jie
Lo, Hoi-Kwong
Johannsson, Jacob
Montagna, Mattia
von Willich, Manfred
author_facet Lin, Jie
Lo, Hoi-Kwong
Johannsson, Jacob
Montagna, Mattia
von Willich, Manfred
contents Pre-shared keys (PSK) have been widely used in network security. Nonetheless, existing PSK solutions are not scalable. Moreover, whenever a new user joins a network, PSK requires an existing user to get a new key before they are able to communicate with the new user. The key issue is how to distribute the PSK between different users. Here, we solve this problem by proposing a new protocol called Distributed Symmetric Key Establishment (DSKE). DSKE has the advantage of being scalable. Unlike standard public key infrastructure (PKI) which relies on computational assumptions, DSKE provides information-theoretic security in a universally composable security framework. Specifically, we prove the security (correctness and confidentiality) and robustness of this protocol against a computationally unbounded adversary, who additionally may have fully compromised a bounded number of the intermediaries and can eavesdrop on all communication. DSKE also achieves distributed trust through secret sharing. We present several implementations of DSKE in real environments, such as providing client services to link encryptors, network encryptors, and mobile phones, as well as the implementation of intermediaries, called Security Hubs, and associated test data as evidence for its versatility. As DSKE is highly scalable in a network setting with no distance limit, it is expected to be a cost-effective quantum-safe cryptographic solution to the network security threat presented by quantum computers.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2407_20969
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Distributed Symmetric Key Establishment: a Scalable Quantum-Safe Key Distribution Protocol
Lin, Jie
Lo, Hoi-Kwong
Johannsson, Jacob
Montagna, Mattia
von Willich, Manfred
Cryptography and Security
Quantum Physics
E.3
Pre-shared keys (PSK) have been widely used in network security. Nonetheless, existing PSK solutions are not scalable. Moreover, whenever a new user joins a network, PSK requires an existing user to get a new key before they are able to communicate with the new user. The key issue is how to distribute the PSK between different users. Here, we solve this problem by proposing a new protocol called Distributed Symmetric Key Establishment (DSKE). DSKE has the advantage of being scalable. Unlike standard public key infrastructure (PKI) which relies on computational assumptions, DSKE provides information-theoretic security in a universally composable security framework. Specifically, we prove the security (correctness and confidentiality) and robustness of this protocol against a computationally unbounded adversary, who additionally may have fully compromised a bounded number of the intermediaries and can eavesdrop on all communication. DSKE also achieves distributed trust through secret sharing. We present several implementations of DSKE in real environments, such as providing client services to link encryptors, network encryptors, and mobile phones, as well as the implementation of intermediaries, called Security Hubs, and associated test data as evidence for its versatility. As DSKE is highly scalable in a network setting with no distance limit, it is expected to be a cost-effective quantum-safe cryptographic solution to the network security threat presented by quantum computers.
title Distributed Symmetric Key Establishment: a Scalable Quantum-Safe Key Distribution Protocol
topic Cryptography and Security
Quantum Physics
E.3
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2407.20969