Computationally Secure Optical Transmission Systems with Optical Encryption at Line Rate
This work addresses security vulnerabilities in optical communication systems, offering a practical solution for high-speed data transmission, though it appears incremental by building on existing optical and cryptographic components.
The paper tackles the problem of securing optical transmission systems by proposing an optical encryption system that combines optical XOR and optical Linear Feedback Shift Registers (oLFSRs) with electronic control from a nonlinear random number generator, achieving computational security against wiretapping while operating at line rate.
We propose a novel system for optical encryption based on an optical XOR and optical Linear Feedback Shift Register (oLFSRs). Though we choose LFSR for its ability to process optical signals at line rate, we consider the fact that it offers no cryptographic security. To address the security shortfall, we propose implementation of parallel oLFSRs, whereby the resulting key-stream at line rate is controlled electronically by a nonlinear random number generator at speeds much lower than the optical line rate, which makes the system practically relevant. The analysis of computational security shows that the proposed system is secure against wiretapping and can be engineered with the state of the art optical components.