Long-term security for a connected world

物联网承诺的极端连接，加上量子技术的进步，对国家安全数据、商业机密和个人健康数据等敏感信息的长期安全提出了根本挑战。*今天互联网的安全依赖于密码算法，这种算法使用数学问题的难度，如果有量子计算机的话，这些问题可以有效地解决。量子技术的最新进展导致了量子安全系统的兴起：如果存在量子计算机，系统将保持安全。长期的安全要求所有设备和所有网络层都要保证量子安全属性，这就需要不同的方法来提供安全。*我的研究计划的目标是为未来的互联网加强长期安全的基础。我将开发理论和技术，以确保针对两种类型的对手的安全：(I)具有无限计算能力的对手，和(Ii)能够访问量子计算机的对手。在(I)中，安全依赖于对通信系统物理层的假设，从而导致信息论安全。然而，在(Ii)中，安全依赖于计算问题，对于这些问题，有效的量子算法目前尚不为人所知，并且只要假设成立，安全就会持续下去。后一种模型允许构造密码原语，例如数字签名，这在类型(I)模型中是不可能的。*我的研究计划的目标是探索受当今高度分布式和互联的通信系统启发的安全模型，开发理论、工具和技术来分析和理解它们，并设计具有可证明/可验证的未来特性的系统。这项研究将围绕以下主题进行：(I)安全的点对点通信，(Ii)多终端环境中的安全通信，以及(Iii)长期安全的加密原语。在前两个主题中，将考虑“安全”消息传输和“安全”密钥协商这两个问题，主题(III)将构建、分析和评估作为现代通信系统重要组成部分的量子安全密码原语。*拟议的研究将为下一代信息通信系统的安全做出根本性贡献，下一代信息通信系统将在海量连接和大量计算的环境中运行，从而将直接有助于国家和企业的长期安全，以及在当今日益网络化的物理世界中个人的安全、保障和隐私。这项研究的结果将对信息通信行业具有重要意义，对加拿大人建立一个更安全的数字世界具有战略意义。这项研究为HQP提供了在加拿大和世界范围内高技能短缺领域进行教育和研究培训的绝佳机会。

Extreme connectivity that is promised by the Internet of Things, combined with advances in quantum technologies, has raised fundamental challenges to the long-term security of sensitive information such national security data, trade secrets, and personal health data. ***The security of today's Internet relies on cryptographic algorithms that use the hardness of mathematical problems that can be efficiently solved if a quantum computer exists. Recent progress in quantum technologies led to the rise of quantum-safe systems: systems that will stay secure if a quantum computer exists. Long-term security requires the quantum-safe property to be guaranteed by all devices and in all network layers, and this calls for diverse approaches to providing security. ***The goal of my research program is to strengthen the foundations of long-term security for the future Internet. I will develop theories and techniques that will guarantee security against two types of adversaries: (i) those with unlimited computational power, and (ii) those with access to a quantum computer. In (i), security relies on assumptions about the physical-layer of communication system, resulting in information-theoretic security. In (ii) however, security relies on computational problems for which an efficient quantum algorithm is not known today, and lasts as long as the assumption holds. The latter model allows construction of cryptographic primitives, such as digital signature, which are not possible in type (i) model. ***The objectives of my research program are to explore security models that are inspired by today's highly distributed and connected communication systems, develop theories, tools and techniques to analyze and understand them, and design systems with provable/verifiable future-proof properties. The research will be organised along the following themes: (i) Secure point-to-point communication, (ii) Secure communication in multi-terminal setting, and (iii) Long-term secure cryptographic primitives. In the first two themes, the two problems of “secure” message transmission and “secure” key agreement will be considered, and theme (iii) will construct, analyze, and evaluate quantum-safe cryptographic primitives that are important building blocks of modern communication systems. ***The proposed research will make fundamental contributions to the security of next-generation information communication systems that will operate in an environment of massive connectivity and abundant computation, and thus will directly contribute to long-term national and corporate security, and individuals' safety, security, and privacy in todays' increasingly cyber-physical world. The outcomes of the research will be significant for information communication industries, and of strategic importance for a safer digital world for Canadians. The research provides excellent opportunities for HQP to have education and research training in areas of high skill shortage in Canada and worldwide.***********