Detector Control via After-Gate Pulses Attack

The Detector Control via After-Gate Pulses Attack targets the transient operational state of gated Avalanche Photodiodes (APDs) used in DV-QKD systems. By sending bright, fake-state pulses immediately after the APDs' gating window, when the APDs switch from Geiger to linear mode, the threat actor (Eve) can manipulate detection outcomes to control the key generation process without detection errors unless afterpulsing exposes the attack.


Literature

[Wiechers2011] C. Wiechers, L. Lydersen, C. Wittmann, D. Elser, J. Skaar, C. Marquardt, V. Makarov, and G. Leuchs. "After-gate attack on a quantum cryptosystem" In: New Journal of Physics 13, 013043. (2011) 10.1088/1367-2630/13/1/013043.

QID: A-0074
Tier: T0
Type: Quantum
Tactic: Execution
Created: 2024-04-11
Updated: 2024-05-27

Technique → Countermeasures

List of countermeasures applicable to this technique.

Items: 5
Description Countermeasure

Rejection of unexpected events.

Employ the upconversion technique.

Employment of bit-mapped gating.

Employment of random detection efficiencies.

Use of other protocols, such as MDI-QKD.