Network-Centric Quantum Communications with Application to Critical Infrastructure Protection
This addresses the critical problem of securing electric grid control communications for infrastructure operators, offering a retrofit solution without being explicitly incremental.
The paper tackles the problem of securing critical infrastructure communications by introducing Network-centric Quantum Communications (NQC), a scalable quantum cryptography system that provides forward-secure key management for encryption, authentication, and digital signatures in optical networks. Results from a multi-node experimental test-bed demonstrate quantum identification, verifiable quantum secret sharing, multi-party authenticated key establishment, and single-fiber quantum-secured communications, showing that NQC meets the simultaneous latency and security requirements of electric grid control communications without the compromises of conventional cryptography.
Network-centric quantum communications (NQC) - a new, scalable instantiation of quantum cryptography providing key management with forward security for lightweight encryption, authentication and digital signatures in optical networks - is briefly described. Results from a multi-node experimental test-bed utilizing integrated photonics quantum communications components, known as QKarDs, include: quantum identification; verifiable quantum secret sharing; multi-party authenticated key establishment, including group keying; and single-fiber quantum-secured communications that can be applied as a security retrofit/upgrade to existing optical fiber installations. A demonstration that NQC meets the challenging simultaneous latency and security requirements of electric grid control communications, which cannot be met without compromises using conventional cryptography, is described.