Paper 2020/1423

Quantum encryption with certified deletion

Anne Broadbent and Rabib Islam

Abstract

Given a ciphertext, is it possible to prove the deletion of the underlying plaintext? Since classical ciphertexts can be copied, clearly such a feat is impossible using classical information alone. In stark contrast to this, we show that quantum encodings enable certified deletion. More precisely, we show that it is possible to encrypt classical data into a quantum ciphertext such that the recipient of the ciphertext can produce a classical string which proves to the originator that the recipient has relinquished any chance of recovering the plaintext should the decryption key be revealed. Our scheme is feasible with current quantum technology: the honest parties only require quantum devices for single-qubit preparation and measurements; the scheme is also robust against noise in these devices. Furthermore, we provide an analysis that is suitable in the finite-key regime.

Metadata
Available format(s)
PDF
Category
Foundations
Publication info
Published by the IACR in TCC 2020
Keywords
quantum cryptography
Contact author(s)
risla028 @ uottawa ca
abroadbe @ uottawa ca
History
2020-11-15: received
Short URL
https://ia.cr/2020/1423
License
Creative Commons Attribution
CC BY

BibTeX

@misc{cryptoeprint:2020/1423,
      author = {Anne Broadbent and Rabib Islam},
      title = {Quantum encryption with certified deletion},
      howpublished = {Cryptology {ePrint} Archive, Paper 2020/1423},
      year = {2020},
      url = {https://eprint.iacr.org/2020/1423}
}
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