Researchers propose key distribution system for post-quantum biometrics protection

A team of researchers has developed what they say is a quantum-secure communication protocol that replaces traditional public key cryptography to enable the use of biometrics in decentralized systems without susceptibility to quantum computing attacks.

The research is presented in a paper titled “Quantum Secure Biometric Authentication in Decentralised Systems.” It describes using post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to secure “the classic channel.” An enhanced Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system then generates symmetric keys to encrypt biometric data in transit.

The researchers ran simulations with Qiskit, an open-source quantum computing framework from IBM, the system delivered a key generation rate of 15 bits per second at 89 percent efficiency.

“The protocol removes reliance on pre-shared keys and central authorities, making it suitable for scalable smart city deployments,” the researchers conclude. “Future work includes testing on real QKD hardware, integration with edge biometric systems, and scaling to multi-user mesh networks with dynamic trust requirements.”

The five researchers who contributed to the project are affiliated with public research university City St. George’s, University of London, Athens University of Economics and Business and London-based Zhero Cybersecurity and IT Support.

They point out that “Quantum Secure Direct Communication (QSDC) has emerged as a complementary paradigm that enables the direct transmission of secret messages over a quantum channel without requiring prior key exchange.” QSDC is not optimized for quickly generating keys, but its principle of authenticating the communicating parties is adopted in the researchers’ proposal.

NIST has been supporting quantum-readiness in various ways, including with its Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program, and authorities in Germany’s BSI has collaborated with Bundesdruckerei Gruppe and Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) on a proof-of-concept for national ID cards integrating PQC.

Article Topics

biometric data  |  biometrics  |  biometrics research  |  data encryption  |  decentralized biometrics  |  post-quantum cryptography  |  quantum computing