Message origin authentication and integrity protection in chaos-based optical communication

The construction of quantum computers forms the major threat against the security of modern communication systems, as anyone who can build a large quantum computer can break today's most popular cryptosystems. Given the central role of information security in the deployment of modern systems, the preparation of the cryptographic world for a future of quantum computers is imperative. In this context, several alternatives have been proposed, mainly basing their security on the laws of physics. One of the most promising technologies is the optically generated chaos-based cryptography. One of its main advantages is that it can be combined with the technology of optical communication networks in a natural way. In this paper, we propose a message authentication and integrity protection scheme based on optically generated chaos. The new scheme is coming to complete a recently introduced solution, for data confidentiality based on optical chaos.