Pulse-Level Simulation of Crosstalk Attacks on Superconducting Quantum Hardware

2025-07-21

AI Summary

In multi-tenant superconducting quantum computers, hardware crosstalk can be maliciously exploited to launch cross-tenant, pulse-level attacks that compromise computational integrity. This work presents the first rotating-frame modeling of active crosstalk attacks on a three-qubit system, distinguishing between “attacker-first” and “victim-first” strategies. Leveraging time-dependent dynamical simulations and a unified drive-coupling model, we precisely characterize how pulse timing, shape, amplitude, and topological coupling jointly induce logical errors. We systematically identify attack configurations maximizing error rates and reveal differential vulnerabilities across quantum protocols—including quantum coin flipping and XOR classification. To mitigate such threats, we propose a defense framework combining anomalous gate fidelity detection with dynamic pulse calibration, significantly enhancing crosstalk robustness. Our approach bridges pulse-level control theory and security analysis, enabling proactive hardening of shared quantum hardware against adversarial crosstalk.

Technology Category

• Machine Learning: Quantum Machine Learning
• Computer Vision: Adversarial Attacks & Robustness
• Multiagent Systems: Adversarial Agents

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Attacks and countermeasures in recommendation systems
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: LLM based quality controls for crowd work

Abstract

Hardware crosstalk in multi-tenant superconducting quantum computers poses a severe security threat, allowing adversaries to induce targeted errors across tenant boundaries by injecting carefully engineered pulses. We present a simulation-based study of active crosstalk attacks at the pulse level, analyzing how adversarial control of pulse timing, shape, amplitude, and coupling can disrupt a victim's computation. Our framework models the time-dependent dynamics of a three-qubit system in the rotating frame, capturing both always-on couplings and injected drive pulses. We examine two attack strategies: attacker-first (pulse before victim operation) and victim-first (pulse after), and systematically identify the pulse and coupling configurations that cause the largest logical errors. Protocol-level experiments on quantum coin flip and XOR classification circuits show that some protocols are highly vulnerable to these attacks, while others remain robust. Based on these findings, we discuss practical methods for detection and mitigation to improve security in quantum cloud platforms.

Problem

• Simulating crosstalk attacks on superconducting quantum hardware
• Analyzing pulse-level adversarial control to disrupt computations
• Identifying vulnerable quantum protocols and mitigation strategies

Innovation

• Simulates pulse-level crosstalk attacks on quantum hardware
• Models three-qubit dynamics with always-on couplings
• Identifies vulnerable quantum protocols and mitigation methods