In a paper published in the journal Sensors, researchers proposed a privacy-preserving range query scheme for Internet of Things (IoT) environments using quantum encryption. They introduced a quantum private set similarity comparison protocol and leveraged quantum homomorphic encryption for encrypted data comparisons.
Study: Quantum Privacy-Preserving Range Query Protocol for Encrypted Data in IoT Environments. Image Credit: metamorworks/Shutterstock.com
The protocol ensured secure query results without exposing sensitive data and was resistant to external and internal attacks. Additionally, it required minimal quantum resources, making it feasible with current technology.
Related Work
Past work has highlighted the growing importance of privacy-preserving range query techniques in IoT systems, where secure data processing is essential. Traditional cryptographic methods, though widely used, face vulnerabilities against quantum computing.
Quantum cryptographic protocols, offering long-term security, have emerged as a robust alternative to research. The introduction of quantum-based privacy-preserving range query schemes enhances data processing security in IoT systems. However, the integration of quantum encryption in IoT systems still faces challenges and higher implementation costs compared to classical encryption solutions.
Quantum Privacy Queries
The growing significance of privacy-preserving range query techniques in IoT systems, where secure data processing is crucial, has been emphasized. While traditional cryptographic methods have been widely adopted, they are becoming vulnerable to the advancements in quantum computing. Quantum cryptographic protocols, which offer long-term security, have emerged as a promising alternative, addressing the limitations of classical encryption.
The introduction of quantum-based privacy-preserving range query schemes further enhances data processing security in IoT systems. However, integrating quantum encryption into these systems still needs to overcome several challenges, including higher implementation costs and complexities than classical encryption solutions.
Verification of Quantum Protocols
This section analyses the correctness of the proposed quantum privacy set similarity comparison protocol, and circuit simulations are conducted to validate its implementation. The first part focuses on the correctness of the quantum privacy set similarity comparison protocol. Alice and Bob each have their respective privacy sets, and the protocol follows four key phases.
During the privacy set encoding stage, Alice and Bob's privacy sets are transformed using modular arithmetic to produce new sets. Subsequently, they generate corresponding quantum state sequences. These sequences are used to establish a shared key with the third party (TP) through Bell state measurements in the critical generation phase. The correctness of these phases is confirmed by quantum circuit simulations, where measurement outcomes match the expected results, as illustrated in the simulation figures.
Alice and Bob encrypt their quantum states in the quantum homomorphic encryption phase and send them to TP, which performs controlled-NOT (CNOT) evaluation. The results of this homomorphic evaluation are analyzed through the simulation, and they confirm the correctness of the exclusive OR (XOR) operation, as predicted by the initial quantum states. The encryption ensures that the privacy sets remain protected throughout the process. After the homomorphic evaluation, Alice and Bob use TP to calculate the similarity between their privacy sets based on the results of the quantum measurements.
The number of outcomes where the XOR results are 1 allows the calculation of the intersection and union of the sets, leading to the final similarity score. The calculated set similarity matches the manually computed similarity between the original privacy sets, confirming the protocol's correctness. The second part of the analysis focuses on the correctness of the proposed quantum privacy-preserving range query protocol.
Alice encodes her privacy set while Bob queries a range of values. Quantum operations ensure Bob receives the correct results without revealing Alice's private data. Overall, both protocols were analyzed step by step, with quantum circuit simulations conducted to verify the correctness of each stage.
The experimental results, including the simulation of quantum states, CNOT operations, and range queries, align with the theoretical expectations. These simulations have established the correctness of the quantum privacy set similarity comparison and privacy-preserving range query protocols, ensuring that the protocols function as intended in preserving privacy while performing necessary computations.
Privacy Protocol Security
The security of the quantum privacy set similarity comparison and privacy-preserving range query protocols is examined. The first protocol ensures security through the critical generation phase and encryption processes, preventing Alice, Bob, or the quantum cloud TP from accessing each other's private information. Quantum key distribution (QKD) and Bell state measurements safeguard against external and internal attacks, while homomorphic encryption preserves the confidentiality of the privacy sets.
In the second protocol, the security of Bob's query and Alice's dataset is upheld by QKD, encryption, and decryption, ensuring TP cannot decrypt Alice's private data. Alice and Bob's data and query results remain confidential, with TP only handling encrypted data. Both protocols effectively maintain privacy and protect against various potential attacks.
Conclusion
To sum up, a quantum privacy-preserving range query scheme for IoT environments was proposed, utilizing quantum private set similarity comparison and QKD/quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) protocols for secure data transmission. The scheme ensures privacy through quantum homomorphic encryption for data comparison and requires only basic quantum operations, making it feasible for practical IoT implementation. The approach provides long-term security through quantum cryptography while utilizing simple quantum states like Bell and single-photon states.
Journal Reference
Ye, C., et al. (2023). Quantum Privacy-Preserving Range Query Protocol for Encrypted Data in IoT Environments. Sensors, 24:22, 7405. DOI: 10.3390/s24227405, https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/24/22/7405
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