Quantum PUF for Security and Trust in Quantum Computing

TL;DR

This paper introduces two types of quantum Physically Unclonable Functions (QuPUFs) leveraging superposition and decoherence, demonstrating their potential for enhancing security and trust in quantum computing hardware.

Contribution

It proposes novel QuPUF designs based on quantum phenomena and validates their effectiveness on real IBM quantum hardware, addressing security threats in quantum computing.

Findings

Achieved 55% inter-die Hamming Distance on IBM hardware.

Intra-HD as low as 4%, close to ideal 0%.

Demonstrated QuPUF applicability as standalone security solutions.

Abstract

Quantum computing is a promising paradigm to solve computationally intractable problems. Various companies such as, IBM, Rigetti and D-Wave offer quantum computers using a cloud-based platform that possess several interesting features. These factors motivate a new threat model. To mitigate this threat, we propose two flavors of QuPUF: one based on superposition, and another based on decoherence. Experiments on real IBM quantum hardware show that the proposed QuPUF can achieve inter-die Hamming Distance(HD) of 55% and intra-HD as low as 4%, as compared to ideal cases of 50% and 0% respectively. The proposed QuPUFs can also be used as a standalone solution for any other application.