ExpandQISE: Track 1: A Quantum Good Network Protocol (QGP) and Implementation for Security-Enhanced Network Authentication

Non-technical Abstract: Encryption is a key component for protecting the security and privacy of today’s Internet. The current unbreakable encryptions could be easily broken with future quantum computers. Therefore, it is imperative to develop new cryptographic algorithms and systems that can resist current and future cyber-attacks. This research aims to study and implement a novel quantum and post-quantum secure network system that integrates strong encryptions and quantum-safe security to provide improved security, integrity, and privacy for data and communications. The research seeks to build a testbed of quantum networks immune from cyber-attacks. The team applies research outcomes in education in collaborating with universities, national labs, and private sector companies to build pipelines of quantum information science and engineering workforce. The technology has wide applications in securing email privacy, enhancing network security, defending critical network infrastructure, and protecting national security. Findings from this research have significant impact on the security aspect of next-generation quantum Internet. Technical Abstract: This project aims to develop an innovative Quantum Good Privacy (QGP) protocol that extends Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) by incorporating a photonic channel and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms. QGP expands the TCP/IP protocol by adding a quantum layer (layer 0) at the bottom of the open systems interconnection (OSI) model and transforming layer 7 with PQC-Dilithium enhanced signatures for improved security, integrity, and privacy. QGP advances theoretical study with an applied approach in building a testbed of Quantum Internet. The photonic channel consists of two endpoints to set up a quantum layer for cryptographic key exchange. A cutting-edge secure authentication algorithm uses PQC-Dilithium signatures, advanced encryption standard (AES), secure hash algorithms (SHA)-3, and hardware encryptors to request quantum keys directly from photonic devices and to encrypt data for local network devices. A quantum service channel acts as Software Defined Networks (SDN)’s control plane to separate the network control logic from devices. This research promotes the progress of developing next-generation quantum-safe networks, contributes to the scientific community in security and privacy, builds better quantum information science and engineering talents, engages in a broader audience, and benefits society. This project is jointly funded by the Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (MPS/OMA), and the Technology Frontiers Program (TIP/TF). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.