The Status of Quantum-Based Long-Term Secure Communication over the Internet
Abstract
Sensitive digital data, such as health information or governmental archives, are often stored for decades or centuries. The processing of such data calls for long-term security. Secure channels on the Internet require robust key establishment methods. Currently used key distribution protocols are either vulnerable to future attacks based on Shor's algorithm, or vulnerable in principle due to their reliance on computational problems. Quantum-based key distribution protocols are information-theoretically secure and offer long-term security. However, significant obstacles to their real-world use remain. This paper, which results from a multidisciplinary project involving computer scientists and physicists, systematizes knowledge about obstacles to and strategies for the realization of long-term secure Internet communication from quantum-based key distribution. We discuss performance and security particulars, consider the specific challenges arising from multi-user network settings, and identify key challenges for actual deployment.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.1711.09793,
title = {The Status of Quantum-Based Long-Term Secure Communication over the Internet},
author = {Matthias Geihs and Oleg Nikiforov and Denise Demirel and Alexander Sauer and Denis Butin and Felix Günther and Gernot Alber and Thomas Walther and Johannes Buchmann},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1711.09793},
year = {2017}
}