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Analysis and protection to user privacy in quantum private query with non-ideal light source

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Abstract

Most existing quantum-key-distribution-based quantum private query (QPQ) protocols are designed based on ideal quantum communication devices. However, multiphoton pulses are unavoidable in various light sources due to practical devices. We analyze the security of the QPQ protocol with the user as the light source in the case of non-ideal light sources. The results show that the user’s privacy is seriously threatened when the database utilizes multiphoton pulses to launch attacks. To address this issue, we propose a decoy-state method to resist multiphoton attacks in the QPQ, which is used to verify the honesty of the database. By calculating the ratio of multiphoton pulses, shifting the key, and choosing the suitable light sources, the user can detect and effectively resist the database launching multiphoton attacks. This approach fills the research gap on the user-as-light-source aspect of QPQ protocols, enabling the QPQ to perform better in scenarios involving non-ideal light sources.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key R &D Program of China (Grant Nos. 2022YFC3801700), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 62171418), and Sichuan Science and Technology Program (Grant No. 2023JDRC0017)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Computer Science, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, China

    Yang-Fan Jiao, Bin Liu & Zheng-Da Shen

  2. Center for Network and Information, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, Xinjiang, China

    Bin Liu & Wen-Zhu Shao

  3. Science and Technology on Communication Security Laboratory, Institute of Southwestern Communication, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China

    Wei Huang, Bin Liu & Bing-Jie Xu

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  1. Yang-Fan Jiao
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Jiao, YF., Huang, W., Liu, B. et al. Analysis and protection to user privacy in quantum private query with non-ideal light source. Quantum Inf Process 23, 133 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11128-024-04346-5

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