Eavesdropper Detection in Six-State Protocol Against Partial Intercept–Resend Attack

Francesco Fiorini, Rosario Giuseppe Garroppo (), Michele Pagano and Rostyslav Schiavini Yadzhak
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Francesco Fiorini: Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Via G. Caruso, 16, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Rosario Giuseppe Garroppo: Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Via G. Caruso, 16, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Michele Pagano: Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Via G. Caruso, 16, 56122 Pisa, Italy
Rostyslav Schiavini Yadzhak: Department of Information Engineering, University of Pisa, Via G. Caruso, 16, 56122 Pisa, Italy

Future Internet, 2025, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-26

Abstract: This work presents and evaluates two threshold-based detection methods for the Six-State quantum key distribution protocol, considering a realistic scenario involving partial intercept–resend attack and channel noise. The statistical properties of the shared quantum bit error rate (QBER) are analyzed and used to estimate the attacker interception density from observed data. Building on this foundation, the work derives two optimal QBER detection thresholds designed to minimize both false positive and false negative rates, following, respectively, upper theoretical bounds and limit probability density function approach. A developed Qiskit simulation environment enables the evaluation and comparison of the two detection methods on simulated and real-inspired quantum systems with differing noise characteristics. This framework moves beyond theoretical analysis, allowing practical investigation of system noise effects on detection accuracy. Simulation results confirm that both methods are robust and effective, achieving high detection accuracy across all the tested configurations, thereby validating their applicability to real-world quantum communication systems.

Keywords: QKD; Six-State; intercept–resend attack; QBER; BB84; eavesdropper detection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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