In principle, quantum key distribution (QKD) offers information-theoretic security based on the laws of physics. In practice, however, the imperfections of realistic devices might introduce deviations from the idealized models used in security analyses. Can quantum code-breakers successfully hack real systems by exploiting the side channels? Can quantum code-makers design innovative counter-measures to foil quantum code-breakers? This article reviews theoretical and experimental progress in the practical security aspects of quantum code-making and quantum code-breaking. After numerous attempts, researchers now thoroughly understand and are able to manage the practical imperfections. Recent advances, such as the measurement-device-independent protocol, have closed the critical side channels in the physical implementations, paving the way for secure QKD with realistic devices.
@article{arxiv.1903.09051,
title = {Secure quantum key distribution with realistic devices},
author = {Feihu Xu and Xiongfeng Ma and Qiang Zhang and Hoi-Kwong Lo and Jian-Wei Pan},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1903.09051},
year = {2020}
}