Building a Standardized Quantum-Safe Networking Architecture
BaSQuaNa
BaSQuaNa, short for “Building a Standardized Quantum-Safe Networking Architecture”, is an open-source project in partnership between Canada and the United Kingdom which aims to develop the first transatlantic Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) network built on OpenQKDNetwork architecture. The Canada and UK sides of the project are hosted by the University of Waterloo in Waterloo and KETS Quantum Security in Bristol, respectively.
BaSQuaNa is comprised of four ongoing sub-projects, termed Work Packages. The first work package involves the development of a quantum-safe Hardware Security Module (HSM) box combining KETS’ QKD Device with Crypto4A’s QxEDGE technology. The second involves the simulation of a QKD satellite link between Canada and the UK. The third involves optimizing post-quantum cryptography (PQC) algorithms for the HSM box in the first work package using the liboqs library. The fourth and final work package ties the first three together by connecting the Canada and UK sides of the overall project to create 2 QKD networks brought together via satellite.
As BaSQuaNa is an open-source project, all software development is freely available on our GitHub. We are ready to consider new use-cases as well as early adopters for our QKD Network and invite those who are interested to get in contact with us. This project is generously supported by our partners who provide financial aid and contribute to research and development.
Motivation
As it currently stands, the basis of modern cryptography rests on mathematical problems that would be computationally infeasible to solve with classical computing. These problems, however, would be easily solved by quantum computers. And while quantum computing is at present considered obscure and esoteric, advances in this area are making and will continue to make quantum computers more and more accessible. Thus, it is imperative to design and develop cryptographic systems that can withstand the power of quantum computing - that is, quantum-safe - before quantum computers become a public safety concern.
Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and cryptographic systems have therefore been the subject of a great deal of research, with events including the annual PQCrypto conference and ETSI workshops. As well, PQC is gaining traction at more general crypto conferences such as Eurocrypt, Asiacrypt, TCHES, and Real World Crypto. Moreover, there are many significant startups focused on PQC such as PQShield and evolutionQ Inc., which are pioneering the commercialization of PQC technologies. The book Post-Quantum Cryptography edited by Bernstein, Buchmann, and Dahmen, as well as the paper A Decade of Lattice Cryptography by Peikert offer a good survey of the field. The NIST PQC Standardization Project currently works towards developing a standard for post-quantum cryptosystems.
Alongside PQC, Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is also a significant development towards designing quantum-secure cryptosystems. In particular, it is a cryptographic protocol based on quantum mechanics that instantly knows if it is being eavesdropped on by a third-party, since measuring a quantum system generally disturbs it. The BaSQuaNa project seeks to combine PQC and QKD technologies to deploy the first transatlantic post-quantum cryptosystem using the framework and architecture provided by OpenQKDNetwork. QKD devices provided by KETS and Crypto4A will run PQC software from the liboqs library to communicate with each other and establish the first transatlantic OpenQKDNetwork cryptosystem.
Open QKD Network
OpenQKDNetwork provides a modular and robust architecture for integrating QKD into current communication networks which the BaSQuaNa project plans to realize and deploy in its Canada-UK QKD network.
This framework is flexible in its physical implementation, allowing for low-cost QKD systems. Additional flexibility is given by the overall structure of the OpenQKDNetwork architecture, which involves four layers that can be modified independently of each other. These four layers are the Host layer, the Key Management Service (KMS) layer, the QKD Network Layer (QNL), and the QKD Link Layer (QLL). The Host layer consists of user devices, which make key requests to the KMS layer. The KMS layer maintains a quantum key pool, issuing keys to the Host layer and obtaining keys from the QNL layer. The QNL layer coordinates key routing between nodes in a QKD network and assembles key bits, which are generated in the QLL layer.
This architecture is extremely promising with many potential use-cases. It is already being used in applications such as qTox, an instant messaging app with voice, video, and file transfer capabilities.
Biographies
Michele Mosca - Principal Investigator, Canada
Michele Mosca is a professor at the University of Waterloo in the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization, whose research and activity focuses on future-proofing modern technologies and networks to be quantum-safe. In addition to co-founding evolutionQ Inc. and softwareQ Inc., which support organizations in upgrading their systems for the quantum era, he has also co-founded the University of Waterloo’s Institute for Quantum for Computing, out of which the Waterloo side of this project runs. Dr. Mosca completed his PhD in Quantum Computer Algorithms at the University of Oxford and is recognized internationally in his field, with honours such as the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and a Knighthood (Cavaliere) in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.
Chris Erven - Project Lead, UK
Chris Erven was formerly a Lecturer in Quantum Engineering at QETLabs and the Deputy Director of the Quantum Technology Enterprise Center at the University of Bristol. He is now the CEO & Co-Founder of KETS, which develops QKD and Quantum Random Number Generator (QRNG) photonic chips and is BaSQuaNa’s leading partner on its UK side. Dr.Erven has also consulted for a wide variety of organizations such as Canada’s Communications Security Establishment. He received his PhD in Quantum Communication and Cryptography at the University of Waterloo.