Quantum Identity Authentication Research Articles

Comment on “quantum identity authentication with single photon”

A few years ago Hong et al. (Quantum Inf Process 16:236, 2017) proposed a quantum identity authentication protocol using single photons and executable on currently available quantum hardware. Zawadzki later published two attacks on this protocol, and suggested a mitigation in the same work. In this comment we point out an additional vulnerability that causes the prover Alice to leak a percentage of her secret key at every authentication attempt. The latter is due to a problematic policy in the generation and management of decoy states. We conclude by showing a simple mitigation that addresses the issue.

Authenticated multi-party quantum key agreement protocol based on cluster states

Quantum key agreement (QKA) is an important cryptographic primitive that plays a pivotal role in private communications. Authenticated QKA plays an important role in QKA. In this paper, we propose an authenticated multiparty QKA scheme based on 4-qubit cluster states entanglement swapping. The scheme is divided into two parts, the first part is the quantum identity authentication stage, and the second part is the QKA stage. In the quantum identity authentication stage, the participants determine that the participant communicating with them is the claimed person through mutual authentication, which can avoid the impersonation attack of the eavesdropper Eve. In the QKA phase, the participants adopt a bidirectional transmission structure with the participation of a semi-trusted third party, and based on the entanglement swapping property of the 4-qubit cluster state, the QKA is finally realized. Detailed security analysis shows that the protocol can resist a variety of internal and external attacks, such as participants attack, entangle-measure attack, and so on.

Robust biometric identity authentication scheme using quantum voice encryption and quantum secure direct communications for cybersecurity

A significant problem facing cybersecurity is that most client/server identity authentication schemes depend on computational complexity which is recently challenged by the super exponential computational abilities of quantum computers. Quantum cryptography with its quantum mechanics principles solves this problem and provides mathematically un-hackable secure communication for the quantum computers epoch. Biometric authentication has a big challenge related to its protection as it has to be submitted and stored in encrypted form. Unfortunately, most existing biometric cryptosystems rely on classical cryptography, so they are insecure in quantum era. This problem is solved in this paper by introducing a novel three-factor biometric quantum identity authentication scheme combining something you know (password), something you produce (client’s voice), and something you are (client’s face image) is proposed. The scheme consists of two phases: client enrollment and client login/authentication. The methodology is to use in the enrollment phase, two layers of quantum encryption for the client’s voice signal. Each layer consists of two simple quantum circuits of SWAP and C-NOT quantum gates respectively using a different pseudorandom key obtained from a cellular automata (CA) pseudorandom generator. The proposed scheme has many merits. Firstly, it introduces a new design of muti-factors quantum biometric authentication scheme as the biometric voice data is processed, transmitted, and stored at the server database in an encrypted unconditionally secure quantum form which provides parallel processing, real-time communications, inherent level of security against attacks, tamper-proof security and exponential powerful storage capability due to the quantum properties. Secondly, the proposed scheme achieves double-layers security by combing quantum voice encryption and quantum secure direct communication in one process such that the quantum channel eavesdropper cannot obtain any valuable information in case of information leakage. Thirdly, the distribution and management of encryption key problem is solved as there is no need for key exchange prior to communication. Fourthly, it achieves high communication efficiency as although it is a three-factor biometric identity authentication, only one biometric data is sent in quantum encrypted form to the server. Fifthly, the numerical simulations showed that the proposed scheme has large key space, high key sensitivity and more robust performance against different types of attacks compared to other existing classical and quantum voice encryption schemes. Finally, as an identity authentication method, the proposed scheme achieves identification accuracy of 100% with zero False Rejection Rate (FRR) and zero False acceptance rate (FAR) which is perfect.

Measurement device hacking-free mutual quantum identity authentication over a deployed optical fiber.

Quantum identity authentication serves as a crucial technology for secure quantum communication, but its security often faces challenges due to quantum hacking of measurement devices. This study introduces a measurement-device-independent mutual quantum identity authentication (MDI MQIA) scheme capable of ensuring secure user authentication, despite the use of measurement devices vulnerable to quantum hacking. To realize the MDI MQIA scheme, we proposed and applied a modified Bell state measurement based on linear optics, enabling the probabilistic measurement of all Bell states. Furthermore, the proposed experimental setup adopted a plug-and-play architecture, thus efficiently establishing the indistinguishability of two photons prepared by the communication members. Finally, we successfully performed a proof-of-principle experimental demonstration of the proposed scheme using a field-deployed fiber, achieving quantum bit error rates of less than 3%.

Two-party quantum identity authentication without entanglement

This study proposes a two-party quantum identity authentication protocol that does not require the participation of a third party. The protocol can verify the user’s identity without exposing the authentication key information, and it can be implemented with a single-photon state, which does not involve entanglement, enabling it to be combined with existing technologies. The shared key is protected by the protocol and hidden during communication, and the security of the authentication scheme is analyzed and verified under general attack. Further analysis results indicate that this protocol is secure and efficient.

Quantum authentication method based on key-controlled maximally mixed quantum state encryption

Quantum authentication is a fundamental first step that ensures secure quantum communication. Although various quantum authentication methods have been proposed recently, their implementation efficiency is limited. This paper proposes a key-controlled maximally mixed quantum state encryption (MMQSE) method using only a single qubit, unitary operation, minimized quantum transmissions, and a single qubit measurement, which improves implementation feasibility and operation efficiency. We applied it to representative quantum authentication applications, namely, quantum identity and message authentication. The security of our authentication schemes was verified by analyzing the relationship between the integral ratio of Uhlmann’s fidelity and probability of successful eavesdropping. Moreover, we demonstrate the higher authentication efficiency of the proposed scheme in a real quantum-channel noise environment. The upper bound of the valid noise rate was quantified using the integral ratio of Uhlmann’s fidelity in a noise environment. Finally, the optimal number of authentication sequences was estimated.

Quantum identity authentication for non-entanglement multiparty communication: A review, state of art and future directions

Quantum identity authentication for non-entanglement multiparty communication: A review, state of art and future directions

Multi-party simultaneous quantum identity authentication based on Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states

A successful implementation of any secure communication protocols requires the identity authentication as a prerequisite. Quantum identity authentication (QIA) can ensure the unconditional security of identity code. In this paper, we propose a multi-party simultaneous quantum identity authentication (MSQIA) protocol based on the Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) state. In the protocol, N certified users can directly send their identity codes to the authenticator Alice simultaneously through quantum channels without classical communication, which enables Alice to authenticate their identity at the same time. Our protocol only requires Alice to perform the single-photon measurement. In theory, this protocol is unconditionally secure and one pair of (N + 1)-photon GHZ state can transmit N bits of identity codes. Our MSQIA protocol has application potential in the quantum communication field in the near future.

Quantum identity authentication based on the extension of quantum rotation

In this work, we propose a bit-oriented QIA protocol based on special properties of quantum rotation and the public key cryptographic framework. The proposed protocol exhibited good resistance to both forward search and measure-resend attacks, whereby its security performance was directly related to the length of the authentication code. From our analysis, it was demonstrated that the protocol has good performance, in terms of quantum bit efficiency. In addition, the protocol is well-expandable. The developed protocol is resource-efficient and can be also applied in quantum computing networks.

Quantum identity authentication using a Hadamard gate based on a GHZ state

According to the properties of the Hadamard gate and GHZ state, a quantum authentication protocol with transferable information is proposed. This protocol has higher security and integrity. Specifically, the direct appearance of the key and the transmitted information are not required for both quantum and classical channels. In addition, the protocol realizes the key update in the process of identity authentication, which can automatically generate the key needed for the next information transmission. We expect that our protocol can be extended to many other quantum communication technologies.

Quantum identity authentication protocol based on flexible quantum homomorphic encryption with qubit rotation

Quantum identity authentication (QIA) ensures that entities of quantum communication will not be impersonated by attackers. As an auxiliary protocol, an ideal QIA protocol cannot take up too many quantum resources and needs to be embedded in the original protocol to enhance security. In this paper, we propose a flexible ternary quantum homomorphic encryption (QHE) protocol using qubit rotation and indicate that the QHE framework can be used to design QIA protocols. The ternary QIA protocol based on QHE can be embedded in the original protocol because both protocols use the same quantum resources. The proposed protocol uses different vouchers from previous protocols, allowing it to prevent various types of attacks and performs well in terms of communication efficiency. The QHE framework can benefit other quantum cryptographic fields.

A novel quantum identity authentication protocol without entanglement and preserving pre-shared key information

A novel quantum identity authentication protocol without entanglement and preserving pre-shared key information

Controlled secure direct quantum communication inspired scheme for quantum identity authentication

Controlled secure direct quantum communication inspired scheme for quantum identity authentication

A short review on quantum identity authentication protocols: how would Bob know that he is talking with Alice?

Secure communication has achieved a new dimension with the advent of the schemes of quantum key distribution (QKD) as in contrast with classical cryptography, quantum cryptography can provide unconditional security. However, a successful implementation of a scheme for QKD requires identity authentication as a prerequisite. A security loophole in the identity authentication scheme may lead to the vulnerability of the entire secure communication scheme. Consequently, identity authentication is extremely important, and in the last three decades several schemes for identity authentication using quantum resources have been proposed. The chronological development of these protocols, which are now referred to as quantum identity authentication (QIA) protocols, is briefly reviewed here with specific attention to the causal connection involved in their development. The existing protocols are classified on the basis of the required quantum resources, and their relative merits and demerits are analyzed. Further, in the process of the classification of the protocols for QIA, it is observed that the existing protocols can also be classified in a few groups based on the inherent computational tasks used to design the protocols. Realization of these symmetries has led to the possibility of designing a set of new protocols for quantum identity authentication, which are based on the existing schemes for the secure computational and communication tasks. The security of such protocols is also critically analyzed.

Dynamic quantum-group authentication protocol based on starlike cluster states

<p indent="0mm">Unlike the traditional one-to-one identity authentication, group identity authentication is group oriented and can authenticate all users belonging to the same group. In this paper, we propose a dynamic quantum-group authentication protocol. Using a special entangled state, i.e., the starlike cluster state, the quantum identity authentication center in a group can authenticate all users belonging to the same group. In addition, the protocol has the following characteristics. (1) The number of users participating in group authentication can change dynamically, i.e., new users are allowed to join group authentication, and the old users are allowed to exit group authentication. (2) When new users join or old users exit group authentication, the authentication keys of all the old users do not need to be redistributed. Compared with the existing quantum-group authentication protocols, the proposed protocol is more flexible and suitable in practical scenarios.

A New Quantum Multiparty Simultaneous Identity Authentication Protocol with the Classical Third-Party.

To guarantee information security in communication, quantum identity authentication plays a key role in politics, economy, finance, daily life and other fields. In this paper, a new quantum multiparty simultaneous identity authentication protocol with Greenberger–Home–Zeilinger (GHZ) state is presented. In this protocol, the authenticator and the certified parties are the participants with quantum ability, whereas the third party is a classical participant. Here, the third-party is honest and the other two parties may be dishonest. With the help of a classical third-party, a quantum authenticator and the multiple certified parties can implement two-way identity authentication at the same time. It reduces the quantum burden of participants and lowers down the trustworthiness, which makes the protocol be feasible in practice. Through further security analysis, the protocol can effectively prevent an illegal dishonest participant from obtaining a legitimate identity. It shows that the protocol is against impersonation attack, intercept-measure-resend attack and entangle-measure attack, etc. In all, the paper provides positive efforts for the subsequent security identity authentication in quantum network.

Quantum Identity Authentication Scheme Based on Quantum Walks on Graphs with IBM Quantum Cloud Platform

Quantum Identity Authentication Scheme Based on Quantum Walks on Graphs with IBM Quantum Cloud Platform

Current Status and Future Development of Quantum Cryptographic Protocols

Quantum computing has the capability of parallel computing and is superior to classical computing in solving some specific problems. Once a large-scale quantum computer is developed, the security of classical cryptographic algorithms and protocols, which is based on the assumption of computational complexity, will be severely challenged. Quantum cryptography is a new cryptosystem; its security is based on the principles of quantum mechanics, and can resist the attack of quantum computing. This paper focuses on the nearly 40 years development of quantum cryptographic protocols, including quantum key distribution (QKD), quantum secure direct communication, quantum secret sharing, quantum identity authentication, two-party secure computation, and quantum private query, and summarizes the problems in the process of development. The analysis shows that the quantum cryptographic protocols are in an unbalanced state: QKD is far ahead of other protocols and other protocols are difficult to achieve breakthroughs. In the future, practical quantum protocols for digital signature and two-party secure computation are core issues that needs to be addressed urgently. Therefore, research on quantum and post-quantum cryptography should be conducted synchronously, cross-over study and talent cultivation for the quantum science and cryptography disciplines should be strengthened, and the examination and evaluation mechanism of relevant basic research needs to be optimized.

An Attack on Zawadzki's Quantum Authentication Scheme.

Identification schemes are interactive cryptographic protocols typically involving two parties, a prover, who wants to provide evidence of their identity and a verifier, who checks the provided evidence and decides whether or not it comes from the intended prover. Given the growing interest in quantum computation, it is indeed desirable to have explicit designs for achieving user identification through quantum resources. In this paper, we comment on a recent proposal for quantum identity authentication from Zawadzki. We discuss the applicability of the theoretical impossibility results from Lo, Colbeck and Buhrman et al. and formally prove that the protocol must necessarily be insecure. Moreover, to better illustrate our insecurity claim, we present an attack on Zawadzki’s protocol and show that by using a simple strategy an adversary may indeed obtain relevant information on the shared identification secret. Specifically, through the use of the principal of conclusive exclusion on quantum measurements, our attack geometrically reduces the key space resulting in the claimed logarithmic security being reduced effectively by a factor of two after only three verification attempts.

Multiparty quantum communication protocol based on quantum stabilizer codes with identity authentication

Quantum communication has been extensively studied and continuously developed due to its theoretical absolute security. In this work, a novel multiparty quantum communication protocol based on quantum stabilizer codes (QSC) is proposed. Firstly, a trusted third party provides quantum identity authentication (QIA) for users. Secondly, users prepare quantum multiparticle entangled states for transmitting secret information. Thirdly, the secret information is encoded by the QSC to resist channel noise. A part of the encoded qubits is selected to detect the security of the communication. In this protocol, QIA prevents active attacks such as impersonation attacks; the physical laws of quantum entangled state ensure information security; the theory of QSC corrects the flipping errors of qubits, and improves the communication efficiency. In addition, we prove the security of the protocol, and further verify the communication efficiency. Compared with existing protocols, this protocol has better performance on communication efficiency.