Towards Quantum Enigma Cipher II-A protocol based on quantum illumination-
This addresses security issues in cryptography for systems requiring protection against brute-force decryption, though it appears incremental as it builds on existing quantum concepts.
The paper tackles the vulnerability of classical ciphers to brute-force attacks by proposing a quantum enigma cipher that uses quantum illumination to create a difference in error performance between legitimate users and eavesdroppers, leveraging quantum effects like the no-cloning theorem and entanglement.
This research note II introduces a way to understand a basic concept of the quantum enigma cipher. The conventional cipher is designed by a mathematical algorithm and its security is evaluated by the complexity of the algorithm in security analysis and ability of computers. This kind of cipher can be decrypted with probability one in principle by the Brute force attack in which an eavesdropper tries all the possible keys based on the correct ciphertext and some known plaintext. A cipher with quantum effects in physical layer may protect the system from the Brute force attack by means of the quantum no cloning theorem and randomizations based on quantum noise effect. The randomizations for the ciphertext which is the output from the mathematical encryption box is crucial to realize a quantum enigma cipher. Especially, by randomizations, it is necessary to make a substantial difference in accuracy of ciphertext in eavesdropper's observation and legitimate user's observation. The quantum illumination protocol can make a difference in error performance of the legitimate's receiver and the eavesdropper's receiver. This difference is due to differences in ability of the legitimate's receiver with entanglement and the eavesdropper's receiver without entanglement. It is shown in this note that the quantum illumination can be employed as an element of the most simple quantum enigma cipher.