2014/05/31 by Hsien-Pu Chen, László B. Kish, Laszlo B. Kish +3
Computer Science · Engineering · Mathematics · #Advanced Statistical Modeling Techniques #Algorithm #Artificial intelligence #Computer science #Computer security #Diverse Scientific and Engineering Research #Eavesdropping #Gaussian #Key (lock) #Lossy compression #Mathematics #Noise (video) #Observable #Offset (computer science) #Physics #Quantum mechanics #Spurious relationship #Statistic #Statistical physics #Statistics #cs.CR #cs.ET
paper · pdf · doi:10.2478/mms-2014-0033
published as Metrology and Measurement Systems 21 (2014) 389-400 · This version is accepted for publication in Metrology and Measurement Systems
arxiv created 2014/06/26 · openalex publication_date 2014/08/20 · arxiv updated 2014/08/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Abstract Recently, Gunn, Allison and Abbott (GAA) [http://arxiv.org/pdf/1402.2709v2.pdf] proposed a new scheme to utilize electromagnetic waves for eavesdropping on the Kirchhoff-law-Johnson-noise (KLJN) secure key distribution. We proved in a former paper [Fluct. Noise Lett. 13 (2014) 1450016] that GAA’s mathematical model is unphysical. Here we analyze GAA’s cracking scheme and show that, in the case of a loss-free cable, it provides less eavesdropping information than in the earlier (Bergou)-Scheuer-Yariv mean-square-based attack [Kish LB, Scheuer J, Phys. Lett. A 374:2140-2142 (2010)], while it offers no information in the case of a lossy cable. We also investigate GAA’s claim to be experimentally capable of distinguishing—using statistics over a few correlation times only—the distributions of two Gaussian noises with a relative variance difference of less than 10 -8 . Normally such distinctions would require hundreds of millions of correlations times to be observable. We identify several potential experimental artifacts as results of poor KLJN design, which can lead to GAA’s assertions: deterministic currents due to spurious harmonic components caused by ground loops, DC offset, aliasing, non-Gaussian features including non-linearities and other non-idealities in generators, and the timederivative nature of GAA’s scheme which tends to enhance all of these artifacts.