POWER September 2013 - 50

CYBERSECURITY
2. The key to unbreachable data communication. The current QKarD transmitter
is five orders of magnitude smaller than any competing quantum cryptography device, but
LANL researchers say it is possible to make it much smaller. Source: LANL
Want More Technical
Specs?
For more details about the quantum
cryptography sources mentioned in this
article, consult these resources:
■ Quantum cybersecurity team's scientific
paper: http://arxiv.org/
abs/1305.0305
■ Trustworthy Cyber Infrastructure
for the Power Grid (a multi-institution
Department of Energy (DOE)-
funded group): http://tcipg.org
■ DOE's Cybersecurity for Energy Delivery
Systems program: http://
energy.gov/oe/technologydevelopment/energy-deliverysystems-cybersecurity
Some
investment in improved engineering/
packaging would make it cheaper and more
deployable, but I think we have shown the
basic necessities. " The system could be used
both on systems " inside the fence " (which,
as she points out, for cybersecurity purposes
is no longer a meaningful distinction) and on
the larger grid, from distributed control to
SCADA systems.
When smart grid opponents object to grid
modernization projects, one of their concerns
is grid control security. Communications between
smart grid devices using QC would
ensure that only the intended signals are sent
and received.
System Limitations
Remember that silver bullet metaphor I used
at the top of the story? It was not intended
to imply that the QKD system is 100%
foolproof. " It makes cryptographers crazy, "
Nordholt mentioned, " to say a system is unbreakable
because you can't prove it-you
can only try everything you can think of to
break it. It is true that we have proofs that
QKD is absolutely secure (unbreakable), but
that means that the implementation must be
perfect. Since nothing is perfect (for example,
poor random numbers would compromise
the security of any QKD or conventional
cryptographic system-fortunately, we have
developed a very high-speed, high-quality
quantum random number generator as well),
cryptographers go nuts at this word. Also, we
50
overlay the quantum part with classical techniques
that we believe are extremely strong,
but not perfect. "
Another caveat is that a silver bullet only
works if it's loaded, and quantum cryptography
only works when it's deployed. That
deployment will necessarily take time, and
QC networks will likely be rolled out first to
high-value systems.
Existing infrastructure capabilities may
also limit QC use. Though some utilities have
installed fiber-optic cable in their distribution
systems, and some plant control systems use
fiber, it's still far from universally deployed.
Unless there's fiber or line-of-sight between
QC users and a trusted authority, the system
cannot be deployed.
Even the most secure communications
systems require a certain level of reliable
human behavior. As Nordholt noted, " We
can't really help you if you are determined
to send your bank account info to that Nigerian
prince who emailed you, but we have
new techniques that could ultimately be used
to provide strong digital signatures so things
like the certificate theft that made Stuxnet
possible could be stopped. "
Commercialization Plans
LANL's technology transfer office is seeking
to commercialize the technology and
has fielded dozens of inquiries from interested
companies that see its potential.
Applications to financial, defense, and
www.powermag.com
infrastructure systems are obvious, and a
modified QKarD " would be perfect for a
space experiment, " Nordholt says. Though
details haven't been worked out, licenses
would likely be exclusive just to domains
of use- " one company might get an exclusive
license for use on the grid while another
gets a license for laser communication. "
The team has foreign patent rights as well,
so the system could also be licensed to foreign
companies.
As for the U.S. electricity sector, Nordholt
projects that we might see the first deployments,
as a retrofit in existing high-value
control systems, within perhaps two years.
When asked what the QC system would
cost per plant, per substation, or per another
grid node, she said that, with today's technology,
the cost would be in the range of $5,000
to $10,000 and " would depend on how many
were deployed on a system and how large the
market. " For the next generation of devices,
the team hopes to bring that cost down " considerably. "
The
LANL QC team already has won several
prizes, including the R&D 100 award for
inventing Free-Space Quantum Cryptography
(quantum cryptography used through the air
or to space), the European Union's Descartes
prize for research for their QC work, and several
previous distance records for both freespace
and fiber-optic quantum cryptography.
Though awards are nice, the team recognizes
that to have a long-lasting impact, their
technology needs to reach a market; hence,
Nordholt explains, " Lately, we have been
concentrating on making things cheaper and
more practical. " ■
-Gail Reitenbach, PhD is POWER's
editor. A version of this article appeared
online June 17 at powermag.com.
POWER | September 2013
http://www.arxiv.org/ http://www.tcipg.org http://http:// http://www.energy.gov/oe/technology http://www.powermag.com http://www.powermag.com
POWER September 2013

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