Secure Message Relay over Networks with QKD-Links

This paper presents extensions to the classical point- to-point protocol PPP [RFC1661] and IPSEC [RFC 2401] in order to build networks that can do unconditionally secure message relay. Our work addresses the problem of how to integrate quantum key distribution (QKD) in networks such that little effort needs to be put on protocol engine adaption and network topology design. This article demonstrates how to ensure correct routing and secure authentication between adjacent QKD-capable nodes, in particular, it is demonstrated how a person-in-the-middle attack can be countered using universal hash functions.