Series encryption in a quantum cryptographic system

• US 20070130455A1
• Filed: 12/06/2005
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Raytheon BBN Technologies Corp. (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon BBN Technologies Corp. (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Elliott, Brig
• Application Number:
  US11/294,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130455A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/70 Photonic quantum communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0858 Details about key distillation or coding, e.g. reconciliation, error correction, privacy amplification, polarisation coding or phase coding

Abstract

A system obtains first encryption key material using quantum cryptographic mechanisms and obtains second encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic mechanisms. The system encrypts data using the first encryption key material to produce first encrypted data and encrypts the first encrypted data using the second encryption key material to produce second encrypted data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

obtaining first encryption key material using quantum cryptographic mechanisms;

obtaining second encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic mechanisms;

encrypting data using the first encryption key material to produce first encrypted data; and

encrypting the first encrypted data using the second encryption key material to produce second encrypted data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the second encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic mechanisms comprises at least one of:

generating the second encryption key material using algorithmic techniques, obtaining the second encryption key material using public key techniques, obtaining the second encryption key material via provisioning of key material from a central repository, or manual fill of the second encryption key material from secure containers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the first encryption key material using quantum cryptographic mechanisms comprises:

communicating a sequence of encryption key symbols between quantum cryptographic endpoints using quantum cryptographic techniques; and

conducting a discussion of the sequence of encryption key symbols between the quantum cryptographic endpoints to obtain a subset of the sequence of encryption key symbols as the first encryption key material.

4. A system, comprising:

a device configured to obtain first encryption key material using quantum cryptographic mechanisms;

a first encryptor configured to encrypt data using the first encryption key material to produce first encrypted data;

a second encryptor configured to;

obtain second encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic mechanisms, and

encrypt the first encrypted data using the second encryption key material to produce second encrypted data.

5. A system, comprising:

a first encryptor configured to;

obtain first encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic mechanisms, and

encrypt data using the first encryption key material to produce first encrypted data; and

a device configured to obtain second encryption key material using quantum cryptographic mechanisms; and

a second encryptor configured to encrypt the first encrypted data using the second encryption key material to produce second encrypted data.

6. A method, comprising:

obtaining first encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic mechanisms;

obtaining second encryption key material using quantum cryptographic mechanisms;

encrypting data using the first encryption key material to produce first encrypted data; and

encrypting the first encrypted data using the second encryption key material to produce second encrypted data.

7. A method, comprising:

communicating a sequence of encryption key symbols between endpoints via a quantum channel using quantum cryptographic mechanisms;

obtaining first encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic mechanisms; and

discussing the sequence of encryption key symbols via a non-quantum channel to obtain second encryption key material that comprises a subset of the sequence of encryption key symbols, wherein the discussion is encrypted using the first encryption key material.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

using the second encryption key material for encrypting data traffic sent between a source and destination.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein obtaining the first encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic mechanisms comprises at least one of:

generating the first encryption key material using algorithmic techniques, obtaining the first encryption key material using public key techniques, obtaining the first encryption key material via provisioning of key material from a central repository, or obtaining the first encryption key material via manual fill of the second encryption key material from secure containers.

10. A system, comprising:

an encryptor configured to obtain first encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic mechanisms;

a first quantum cryptographic key distributor configured to;

communicate a sequence of encryption key symbols to or from a second quantum cryptographic key distributor using quantum cryptographic mechanisms via a quantum channel, and

discuss the sequence of encryption key symbols with the second quantum cryptographic key distributor via a non-quantum channel to obtain second encryption key material that comprises a subset of the sequence of encryption key symbols,

wherein the encryptor is further configured to encrypt the discussion using the first encryption key material.

11. A method, comprising:

discussing, over a network, a sequence of symbols obtained using quantum cryptographic mechanisms to derive first encryption key material; and

communicating traffic over the network based on the first encryption key material, wherein the communicated traffic is cryptographically isolated from the discussion.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein cryptographically isolating the traffic from the discussion comprises:

using different encryption key material than the first encryption key material to encrypt the discussion.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein cryptographically isolating the traffic from the discussion comprises:

using a different encryption technique to encrypt the discussion and the communicated traffic.

14. A system, comprising:

a first encryptor configured to obtain first encryption key material using quantum cryptographic techniques; and

a second encryptor configured to obtain second encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic techniques,

wherein data is encrypted using the first encryptor and second encryptor connected in series.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first encryptor encrypts the traffic prior to encryption by the second encryptor.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the second encryptor encrypts traffic prior to encryption by the first encryptor.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the data comprises communication traffic transmitted between a source and destination.

18. A system, comprising:

an encryptor;

a device configured to;

derive encryption key material using quantum cryptographic techniques, and

implement a key fill interface for injecting the encryption key material into the encryptor, wherein the key fill interface includes one of a DS-101 or DS-102 key fill interface.

19. A system, comprising:

means for obtaining first encryption key material using quantum cryptographic mechanisms;

means for obtaining second encryption key material using non-quantum cryptographic mechanisms;

means for encrypting data using the first encryption key material to produce first encrypted data; and

means for encrypting the first encrypted data using the second encryption key material to produce second encrypted data.