Authentication in Quantum Networks

2026-06-29

AI Summary

This study clarifies three frequently conflated authentication problems in quantum networks—classical message authentication, quantum message authentication, and entity authentication—and for the first time systematically distinguishes and integrates their respective paradigms. Through a comprehensive analysis of classical and quantum security protocols, including hardware-assisted approaches, and case studies of quantum key distribution (QKD) and post-QKD protocols, the work explicitly characterizes the authentication resources required by each protocol type. It advances the central thesis that authentication resources must be explicitly bound to security claims. The research establishes criteria for selecting authentication schemes tailored to specific application scenarios, demonstrates that existing technologies can already meet diverse requirements, and thereby dispels the misconception that authentication constitutes an inherent limitation of quantum networks.

Abstract

In this review, we survey the cryptographic task of authentication from the perspective of quantum communication. We review three main flavours of authentication that are often conflated in the literature: authentication of classical messages, authentication of quantum messages, and entity authentication, also covering recent hardware-assisted approaches. We compare representative protocols for each functionality in terms of their security assumptions, set-up requirements, composability, and scalability in large or dynamic networks, and use these criteria to identify and recommend suitable candidates. Finally, applications are surveyed: we provide a detailed case study of authentication and quantum key distribution (QKD), then extend the discussion to protocols beyond QKD, where the role of authentication is more complex. Our take-home message is that an authentication requirement is not an intrinsic limitation of quantum networks: as with all secure communication, each protocol relies on a particular authentication resource, and the security claim of that protocol is meaningful only once the authentication resource and its deployment assumptions are made explicit. At the same time, the existing classical and quantum literature already offers a range of quantum-secure authentication schemes, which can support different applications when carefully matched to the required functionality, assumptions, and security guarantees.

Problem

• authentication
• quantum networks
• quantum key distribution
• security assumptions
• entity authentication

Innovation

• quantum authentication
• entity authentication
• hardware-assisted authentication
• composability
• quantum-secure protocols