Long-term security for a connected world

物联网所承诺的极端连接性，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性提出了根本性挑战。 当今互联网的安全性依赖于加密算法，这些算法使用了数学问题的难度，如果量子计算机存在，这些问题就可以有效地解决。量子技术的最新进展导致了量子安全系统的兴起：如果量子计算机存在，系统将保持安全。长期的安全性要求所有设备和所有网络层都保证量子安全属性，这就需要多种方法来提供安全性。 我的研究项目的目标是加强未来互联网长期安全的基础。我将开发理论和技术，以保证对两种类型的对手的安全性：（i）那些具有无限计算能力，（ii）那些访问量子计算机。在（i）中，安全性依赖于关于通信系统的物理层的假设，从而导致信息论安全。然而，在（ii）中，安全性依赖于计算问题，对于这些问题，有效的量子算法目前还不知道，并且只要假设成立，安全性就会持续下去。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连接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。该研究将沿着以下主题组织：（一）安全点对点通信，（二）安全通信在多终端设置，和（三）长期安全加密原语。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，分析和评估量子安全密码原语，它们是现代通信系统的重要组成部分。 拟议的研究将为下一代信息通信系统的安全性做出根本性贡献，这些系统将在大规模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，以及当今日益增长的网络物理世界中的个人安全，安全和隐私。研究结果将对信息通信行业具有重要意义，并对加拿大人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.