US 12,113,894 B1 · Quantum secured internet transport

Abstract

Systems and methods provide quantum secured internet transport. Quantum key distribution (QKD) is made universally available to existing Transport Layer Security (TLS) Internet services without requiring modification of existing applications. QKD keys may be prefetched and transferred to user devices at secure sites using QKD over an optical link (e.g., a continuous wave fiber or free-space optical link). A proxy QKD TLS tunnel client and a QKD TLS tunnel server are transparent to the user devices and select QKD keys for use with existing TLS client and TLS server services to form a QKD TLS tunnel between the user devices for secure communication. One-time-pad (OTP) encryption uses pre-shared QKD keys to provide secure OTP based encryption.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A method for secured Internet transport, comprising:

prefetching, by a key manager of a first host computer at a first secure site, a quantum key distribution (QKD) key from a QKD layer;
receiving, within a QKD transport layer security (TLS) client of the first host computer, a request from a client application of the first host computer for secure communication with a server application of a second host computer;
initiating communication with a QKD TLS server of the second host computer;
receiving, from the QKD TLS server, a pre-shared key (PSK) identity-hint;
sending the PSK identity-hint to the key manager;
receiving the QKD key and a PSK identity of the QKD key from the key manager;
sending the PSK identity to the QKD TLS server;
and
forming a secure communication channel between the client application and the server application via QKD TLS using the QKD TLS client and the QKD key.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Quantum secured internet transport

Life of this patent

Quantum secured internet transport

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14