CAREER: Towards Secure and Reliable Cloud-Based Quantum Computers

Applications such as chemical simulations and optimization problems demand intensive computation, which will benefit from near-term quantum computers. With the growth of the quantum computing industry, quantum computing vendors provide cloud-based access to meet the increasing demand of quantum computers. However, executing quantum circuits on cloud-based quantum computers introduces new security risks. Malicious quantum developers, adversarial users, or insiders at the quantum computing vendors or cloud providers may compromise quantum computations, potentially leaking sensitive information or producing incorrect results. This project addresses these fundamental challenges by developing practical security solutions that cope with the engineering challenges of quantum computers. The novelty of this project includes the unique attack vectors in quantum computing and the development of new attack detection mechanisms and quantum circuit design strategies against different threat models to ensure trustworthy and reliable cloud-based quantum computing. This work advances the national interest by strengthening secure quantum computing that supports national defense, economic competitiveness, and critical applications. The education program, which spans from high school to graduate level, includes new curriculum development, course modules, and summer research. Research-based practices and competition-based activities are used to effectively integrate research and education. This project bridges the gap in cyber security between theoretical foundations of secure quantum computing and the limitations of near-term quantum computers. It enhances the integrity and the confidentiality of quantum circuits executed on cloud-based quantum computers. This research identifies novel Trojan designs that leverage recent advancements in quantum hardware control. The project also provides runtime techniques using a combination of machine learning and heuristic approaches to detect and mitigate malicious circuit executions. The security-aware quantum circuit synthesis techniques developed in this project can obscure the quantum circuit structure and thus protect sensitive information. Collectively, this project establishes foundational methods and tools for secure and reliable cloud-based quantum computing. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. NSF Award ID: 2542385 | Program: 01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT,01002930DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT,01003031DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT | Principal Investigator: Samah Saeed | Institution: CUNY City College, NEW YORK, NY | Award Amount: $337,566 View on NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award/?AWD_ID=2542385 View on Research.gov: https://www.research.gov/awardapi-service/v1/awards/2542385.html